Something about you
by annieSL
Summary: Jackson and April found out they've got a baby on the way. How will they deal with their new life? - rated M in some chapters.
1. memory lane

After a long day at work, there was nothing Jackson enjoyed better than to come home to his expecting wife, have some dinner and relax.

Today, after work, he hit the gym and by the time he got home, April was already there.

It would be like any other day, except for the fact that as he stepped out of the shower, and was about to put on his pajama shirt, he heard soft sobs coming from the living room. He didn't wait a minute longer and stepping out of their bedroom, he found April sitting on the living room floor, next to the coffee table, crying.

"April, what's wrong?" He said, almost running towards her. Sitting next to her, on the floor, he saw a bunch of photographs, apparently aligned by year, placed on top of the coffee table. "April?" he repeated, since she didn't reply the first time, but continued hysterically crying. Then he noticed she was holding a picture firmly against her chest. Placing one hand on her chin, he managed to make her look at him.

"Jackson…I just…" He could barely understand her, since her sobs were louder than her words. He tried to calm her down, rubbing her back with one hand, while placing a lock of her loose hair behind her ear with the other.

"What's wrong?"

"Remember how I told you I wanted to do a scrapbook with pictures of us…you know, a scrapbook about us and our story?" She said, without being able to stop sobbing.

Of course he remembered. He remembered how great that idea sounded when she first approached him with it. How cute it would be to do a scrapbook with their story, their friendship turned love and how amazing it would be to eventually continue the scrapbook with pictures of their soon to be family, with their kids. Nodding his head he simply said "I do."

"Well, I spent all week trying to find pictures…I could only do it when I had some free time, which doesn't happen very often, but luckily I had most of them on my computer, since their digital and everything, but I couldn't find one…" To his despair a trail of tears came running down her face. "…one very important picture."

"Is it why you're crying? Because you didn't find it?" he asked, dying with curiosity to know why his wife was crying so hard.

"No…no." she said. Cleaning her tears with the hem of her sleeve, she cleared her voice and tried to continue. "I couldn't find it, because this one I had in print, it wasn't digital. Anyways, I've been driving myself crazy over this and then I finally remembered where I put it. I went looking for it while you were in the shower and…it was stuck in one of my diaries…" Even though she was trying hard, there seemed to be no way to stop the tears that kept filling her eyes. "…one from my first year as an intern."

Jackson calmly put one hand on top of hers, making her reveal the picture she'd been holding close to her chest. "Can I see it?" he asked.

She hopelessly smiled, before handing him the picture.

Suddenly it all made sense to him. It was a picture of him, April, Reed and Charles back from when they were still interns at Mercy West. He didn't remember when the picture was taken, but they were smiling, all four of them; His arms placed in between April's and Charles' shoulders; April was smiling shyly; they were all in their orange scrubs. He kind of missed those scrubs or at least what they represented – the beginning of everything he fought for.

"This picture was taken before we took our intern exam. One week before, actually." April continued. "I kept it in my diary, because…well, you guys were all the friends that I had back then. Remember how you all thought I was weird when you first met me?"

"I didn't find you weird." Jackson defended himself, even though that wasn't true. At first he thought April was quite weird, very nerdy, too temperamental, but then he eventually started finding her quirkiness cute.

"Oh please, Jackson, you did. I know you did…all of you did. But that's ok, things were different after a while." She acknowledged. "Anyways, you guys were all the friends I had. Reed was my closest friend. And even though we were very different, we clicked. I don't know…it just kills me to know that she's no longer here…that they're no longer here. I miss them so much."

"I know. I miss them too."

"And the truth is I feel like I have no friends other than you." She confessed, falling into a whimper again.

"Don't say that, April. You've got friends…many."

"I don't…It's true, or at least I don't feel that way." He gently rubbed her back, letting her lean on his shoulder. "The night we had our fight, I went to Callie and Arizona's place and, even though they were kind enough to let me stay there, I could feel they were getting tired of me. I could feel how they were starting to get annoyed by my ramblings about…well, my feelings. I was trying to deal with everything and all I needed was someone who could listen, who could tell me what to do, how to manage my problems or whatever I was going through. And I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with, but…it still hurts to think that, in the end, I have no friends…but you."

"Baby, don't say that." Seeing his wife hurt like that was more than Jackson could take.

"It's true. Jackson, you're practically the only one who's not annoyed by my presence for more than a day; you're the only one who gets me; you're only one who knows how to calm me down when I'm losing it. You're pretty much the only one who stands me."

"April, don't put yourself down like that." He knew that April had a hard time in the past because of what people thought of her and that it had been a challenge for her to overcome her insecurities. "People love you, just the way you are. I love you, just the way you are."

"Well, that's you. But you're my best friend. You're everything to me."

"You're my best friend too, April." He kissed her temple. It always felt good to hear her say things like that. It made him feel like the luckiest man in the planet. She was his. He was hers. But she was feeling pretty down right now and he would do anything to light her up again.

"But you know what scares me the most?" She asked, looking up at him. He shook his head. "Well, if you fail me, then…I'm lost. I'm gonna be all alone. Jackson, you're my everything, but if something happens to you, and God forbids anything from happening, then I'm gonna be all by myself. I'm lost without you."

"Hey, don't think about that, honey. Nothing's going to happen. I'm here, you're here…we've got our baby in the way. Nothing's gonna happen, ok?"

"You don't know that." She replied, tearing up again. "You think everything's great; you get up in the morning, you go to work, you do charts or rounds or even surgeries and then…then life changes in a heartbeat. I mean, what are the odds of a gun man breaking into a hospital, shooting everything that moves?"

"I know but…" He tried to comfort her, but before he had the chance to, she cut him off.

"I remember that day like it was yesterday. I woke up, just like every other day and then…then I stumbled on my best friend's dead body. It was covered in blood. I was covered in her blood and then everything turned into complete madness." She took a deep breath. He could feel her body tremble in his arms. "Jackson, I could have died that day. I came face to face with that man. He pointed a gun at me and it was a miracle he let me go."

He remembered that day as well. How could he forget? He had nightmares about it for months. He had been in the same room as the gun man. He had had a gun pointed at him too. But thinking back about it made him realize that if that event was to happen now, the thought of losing his wife was more painful than everything else. "It was just an ordinary day." He stated. "And then everything changed."

"We lost Reed and Charles that day. And now, looking at this picture…" she said, holding it up back again. "…it makes me so sad to think that they're not here. Look at us…so young and happy."

"I know."

"I mean, one second we're here and the other we're not. Life's tricky like that. It makes me realize that I shouldn't take anything for granted, that I shouldn't take you for granted, because if it's not a gun man, then it's an airplane that crashes, or a natural catastrophe of some sort or…something else. Life's so fragile and people that we love die and everything's pretty unfair sometimes. People die and we don't even have the change to say what we wanted to say, to do things differently… to say good-bye."

"You're right, we've been through a lot these past few years. After Charles and Reed, we lost Mark and Lexie too." He suddenly felt empty again, like all the memories, anger and pain from those events never left him. "I know how it hurts to lose someone important and miss them. They say time heals every wound, but…it's hard. And even though people die every day, death is never fair." He could feel her body caving in into his arms and so he hold her with all the strength he had. He was her safe haven and she was his. "But hey…we're together, ok? Nothing's going to happen."

"I just feel so scared that I might lose you. I can't lose you, Jackson."

"I can't lose you too, baby. I love you. You're my everything too." He said, before kissing her forehead. "But hey…it's me and you, ok? Me and you until the end. I'm not going anywhere…I'm staying right here where I belong…with you."

"But what if…"

"Don't think about the 'what if's', ok? One day at a time. Life's fragile and people die in the most random ways, but I want you to know that if anything happens to me…" he saw her roll her eyes and decided to continue with a firmer voice. "…if anything happens to me, if I die, I want you to know that I'll die a happy man, ok?"

"How so?" she wondered.

"Well, I'll die happy, because I found you, I loved you and I was loved by you. Not many people get to die knowing they married the love of their life." She cupped his face with both of her hands and leaned in for a kiss. He was not used to expressing his emotions, but April changed him. He was a different man around her. He wanted to please her, to make her feel loved and happy, because the truth was he was only happy when she was and that made him realized that that's what love is all about.

"Don't you dare die on me, you hear me, Jackson? Don't you dare! Even if you die happy, ok?" She said, finally smiling after all the crying.

"I won't." He whispered against her wet, salty lips. "You're stuck with me forever."

"I'm glad I am." She murmured, placing her arms around his neck.

"Now why don't you go wash your face so we can start working on this scrapbook?" he suggested, cleaning the traces of tears, that fell down her cheeks a few minutes ago, with his thumb.

She suddenly seemed more light up. "Are you gonna help me with it?"

"Of course I am." He replied, playing with the tips of her hair. "Going down memory lane can be a good thing, right?"

She simply nodded her head affirmatively. "I'm sorry, Jackson. I'm sorry about my crazy emotions, ok? I guess I'm just one big hormonal mess right now."

"Don't worry about it, babe." He reassured her, kissing her lips again. "I love you anyway…with or without crazy crying."

"Ok…" she smiled against his lips. "Give me a minute while I'll go clean my face…I'll be right back."

…

A few minutes later, as April reentered the living room Jackson handed her a bowl of chocolate ice cream. "To make you feel better."

"Thank you, baby."

"Chocolate makes everything better!" he added, holding her waist with both hands, from behind, placing his chin on the crook of her neck. They were standing in front of the coffee table where April had placed the photographs in perfect order. "Anyways, where do we start?"

"Well, first we have to choose which ones we want to use in the scrapbook." She replied, leading a spoon full of ice cream to her mouth. "I already made a pre-selection, but…you can have a say in this, you know…which ones you like the best?"

"Ok." He agreed. "Ok, I think I can do that." Bending down to take a closer look, Jackson picked a photograph of him and April from their first year as residents. "Oh, I remember this one…it was my birthday, wasn't it?"

"It was." She answered, taking a seat on the couch, while taking another bite of the ice cream. "I love that one. You look so handsome."

"Look at how young we were. I have a baby face in here." He noticed, sitting next to her.

"Well, you shaved for once and your hair was longer. I love it when it gets curly like that." She pointed out, raising her hand to massage his shaved head. "But you look handsome anyway, with or without your curly hair."

"How could I've been so blind? I mean, look at you in this picture, April." Jackson said, admiring her younger beauty. "You were pretty hot back then. I don't know why I didn't make a move."

"Stop it, Jackson. You never looked at me once back then. Plus, you were dating someone."

"Was I?" he questioned, truthfully clueless.

"Of course you were; you were always dating someone, so…"

"Well, if I was then let me tell you that that never stopped me from checking you out while you changed into your scrubs, every morning." He admitted, placing a soft kiss on her neck.

"You whaaat?" April questioned, pulling his lips away from her. She was completely surprised with this confession. "Jackson?"

"What?" he wondered, with a grin on his face. "You're gonna tell me you never noticed I did that?"

"No, of course I didn't notice."

"You were very shy and all, but let me tell you…you were never not hot!" he confessed, putting the picture down on the coffee table, while his eyes searched for another one. "And yes, I used to check you out!"

"Pervert!" she accused him, taking another bite of ice cream.

"Yeah, right, because you never did that."

"No, I'm a lady. I never checked you out while you were changing." That one was a lie and he knew it, but he decided to let it go with a small laugh.

"Hey, this one definitely has to go on the scrapbook." He said, holding another photograph in his hand. It was one from their honeymoon, taken with Jackson's iPhone, right after a session of love making. They were lying in bed, white sheets covering April's chest; Jackson was holding the camera, with his left arm up; he was smiling directly into it, while April was semi hiding her smile in the crook of Jackson's neck; Her right arm was holding his naked chest, while her wild hair was somehow beautifully placed on the pillow; her pale skin contrasted with his darker one; but most importantly, they looked very much in love and very, very happy.

"No way, Jackson!" she said, trying to steal the picture from his hands, unsuccessfully. "Give it to me!"

"It's my favorite picture. We look damn good in it. So, why not put it on the scrapbook?"

"Because this is supposed to be a family album, you know, something we'll show our kids someday. Can you imagine how awkward it would be for them to see their parents after sex? I mean, you don't want to traumatize them, do you?" April quickly tried to turn his idea down. "Besides, I didn't mean to print this one, ok. It's here by mistake. Nobody's supposed to see this…ever."

"Babe, relax. Would you?" he said, smiling. "I was joking…of course I'm not going to put this on the scrapbook."

"Good! Then give it to me." April demanded, reaching her hand to him.

"Maybe I should frame it." He teased her once again. "Yeah, I'm gonna frame it and put it on my desk, in my office, at work. You know, so everybody can know how hot my wife really is."

"Jackson, I'm serious about this. Don't you dare." She threatened him, putting the ice cream bowl on the table, before attempting to take the picture from his hands once again. She then climbed to his lap, placing her tights in between his. "Jackson…"

"Nope, the photo is mine now." He continued to tease her, holding the photo above his head with one hand, while with the other he hold her waist.

"I'm serious, though."

"Ok, ok…fine…" he gave up. "But I'm gonna keep it. You look beautiful in this one." He put a lock of her hair behind her ear, before proceeding to attack her neck with his lips.

"Jackson…" she whispered, when he found her soft spot.

"I'm gonna keep this photo." He said in between kisses. "And I'm gonna put it in my wallet, so I can look at you, at how beautiful you are, whenever I want. How about that?"

"Well, that's a solution." She agreed, ready to feel his lips in places other than her neck. "Jackson?"

"What?"

"Don't you want to recreate the photo…in our bed…right now?" April asked, holding his hands and getting up from his lap.

"Do you wanna recreate the photo or what happened before it was taken?" he replied, with a smirk on his face.

"You'll see, babe…you'll see!"

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

So this is my first attempt to write Japril fanfic.

Hope you guys liked it.

I plan on keep on writing this and post a new chapter hopefully every week. I'm planning on making this a continuous story, with small time gaps into the future. I'm mostly planning on writing throughout April's pregnancy.

You should also know that I'm taking into consideration your ideas, so if you want me to write about something, send them out.

Anyways, I do this for fun, so I hope you guys enjoyed it and have fun reading it as well.

Also, please take into consideration that English's not my first language, so any spelling or grammar mistakes you might find, let me know.

Review as you please.

Much love,

Annie.


	2. basketball wife

**Rated M**

…

April stood in front of her husband's closet, with her arms crossed against her chest and a thoughtful look on her face. "Hum…where did he put it? She wondered.

It was game night, which meant Jackson was going to be stuck on the couch for the rest of the evening, with a bear in his hand and his full attention to the TV.

But April had a different plan for tonight. She was eleven weeks pregnant. She knew that in a few months the long nights of making love to her husband would be replaced by sleepless nights and loud cries from their baby. Besides, she didn't know if it was hormones speaking louder, but she was feeling very horny. So, tonight she had her mind set on the game…a very different kind of game…one that didn't include basketball.

Bending down, she opened the last drawer to find exactly what she was looking for. The game was on.

…

"How's the game going, babe?" she asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Not so good." He replied, without even taking his eyes off of the TV. "Hopefully we still got time to recover, but…it's not looking good at all."

"Hum…ok." She said, walking towards the TV, stopping right in front of it, with her back to her husband. Putting her hands on her hips, she continued "Well, I've decided to support the team. Maybe I'll bring them some luck."

"April, could you please move? You're blocking the…TV." She heard him say, but soon enough he was silent.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My bad." She turned around to face him with a false apologetic look on her face. "I'm just gonna sit next to you."

"What are you doing?" he asked, following her with his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Of course she knew what he meant. She was wearing his team's jersey and only that. It was a couple sizes too big, which was actually a good thing, since it covered her bare behind.

"I mean…what are you doing with this?" he wondered, pointing a finger up and down her body.

"Oh this?" she asked in an innocent voice. "Well, I've told you. I'm supporting the team. What better way to do so than by wearing your jersey?"

"Are you?" He put his hands on her legs as soon as she sat next to him. "Really?"

"I'm serious, Jackson." She affirmed, gently pushing him back. "Go Celtics! See?"

"April…I don't think this is the best way to…" He begun to say, moving closer to her. "…I don't think this is the best way for you to support the team. It's very distracting…I'm getting very distracted!"

"Shh!…I'm trying to focus here. Ok, so we're losing. By how many?"

She felt his hands travel her legs all the way to the top. "So you're not wearing anything besides this jersey?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Maybe…" she teased, putting her legs across his lap. "Why?"

"Because…you're looking very, very…sexy right now." He remarked, placing his hands under the hem of the shirt. "Wait…"

"What?" April was testing him. She wanted to see his reaction when he found out that she wasn't…

"You're not wearing panties either?"

She was almost on top of him when she felt his fingers softly cross her private areas. "Oops, guess I forgot to put them on."

Jackson threw his head back, completely rapt by her figure. She was driving him crazy and she knew it. Actually, she felt pleasure in it. "April…" He whispered against her neck.

His breath on her neck felt too good to deny him. At this point she decided to quit the games, and sat on his lap, placing her legs on each side of his thighs. She could feel him grow against his tight jeans…she was the one losing it now.

Before he could say anything else, she started sucking his neck, right behind his ear. When she left her mark on him with her lips, she decided to keep kissing him.

Soon enough, his shirt was on the floor. She placed her hands on his bare chest, not taking too long to leave a trace of kisses down his torso. Letting her hands travel down his chest, she found the bottom of his jeans, unzipping them quickly. She could tell he was begging for release.

Just after she let him take off his jeans completely, by moving from his lap to the seat next to him, she felt his hand playing with her already wet center. His fingers started massaging her down there. The feeling of his touch was enough to take her to another level, but then she felt him pushing her back against the couch. She lie down, with her head against a pillow and her legs spread to let him do as he pleased. His lips started leaving a trace of sweet kisses on her right leg. When he reached the top, she felt his breath against her thigh, where he planted one last kiss. Then, he decided to the same to the other leg, without quitting massaging her center with his free hand. "Jackson…" She was trying to hold it in, but she needed him more than ever. Looking at him, she knew how pleased he was by driving her crazy, by teasing her. He loved seeing her powerless like that; he loved being in total control of her body; he knew her too well. And then, he did it. She felt his soft lips playing with her center. She gasped for air, while trying to maintain focus, but the way he was moving his tongue was too much. Grabbing the pillow behind her head with one hand, while touching his shaved head with the other, she knew she was close to the edge. Her back started to arch; the toes of her feet started to twitch. His tongue didn't stop moving until her whole body trembled in a wave of pleasure.

She didn't move for a few seconds, trying to recuperate her breath. But before she could do anything else, she felt his lips on her lips. Kissing him back, she felt her own taste, but she didn't care.

He was now on top of her, supporting his weight with his arms. Never leaving his lips, she slipped one hand inside his tight boxers. When he felt her small hand softly squeezing his hard member he stopped kissing her. "April…" He whispered, letting his head fall down to the crook of her neck.

She didn't reply. Instead she moved his boxers down his bottom, exposing his hardness fully. Then, she climbed up, allowing him to sit back on the couch. Kissing his lips again, she only parted from him to take her shirt off. But he quickly grabbed her hands. "Leave it on." He requested, looking at her in the eyes. "You, dressed up like that, it's actually turning me on… even more."

She let out a small giggle, before cupping his face with her hands to kiss him again. But it didn't take long for her to meet him completely.

Moving together in sync, she put her arms around his neck for better balance, while he rested his hands on her back, under the shirt she was still wearing.

April could feel her body losing control again as she rode her husband up and down. Sweet waves of pleasure started filling her inside once more. "Jackson…" she moaned against her husband's ear, full of desire. He looked at her, with his eyes bursting with lust, before kissing her neck yet again. Feeling his lips close, she held his shoulders even harder, almost carving her nails on his skin.

"Hum…April…" she heard him sigh. She loved when her husband called her name out loud during sex. It was a major turn on. She felt empowered whenever that happened.

Placing both of her hands on his neck, she made him look up at her. Smiling at him, she leaned in to give him a kiss, but somehow one big heat of desire filled her in that moment. Eventually she landed her teeth in between his lower lip, biting it without hurting him. It was too much for her to take; her body was starting to crumble in pleasure.

She could feel him come to the edge as well and it didn't take long for the two lovers to find their own way to the top.

When they both reached their orgasms, April stood on Jackson's lap for a few seconds to recover. "That was…" She tried to say in between gasps "…amazing."

"Yeah…yeah…it was…" He replied, catching his breath as well. "You're amazing."

She laughed at his statement, but suddenly she was taken back to their surroundings when she heard the sound of a whistle coming from behind. The TV was still on and so was the game. "I guess you just lost half of the game." She stated.

Jackson turned his face to the TV and quickly reached for the remote that was stuck between the sofa cushions. "Who cares about the game…" he said, turning off the TV "…when I have you?"

"Oh really?" she asked, with a smile on her face. "But didn't you want to watch the game? It's an important one, right?"

"Well, we're losing, so…" He said, lifting her up from his lap to carry her to the bedroom. "…besides, I've got more important things on my mind right now!"

"Is that so?"

"Oh, baby…you've got no idea!" He stated, before making his way to their bedroom.

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

First of all I want to thank each and every one of you who reviewed, fav or followed. It means a lot to me. I do this for fun, but knowing you liked it makes me smile!

Second of all, I know that the timing is probably not right, but even though it might not have been basketball season by the time this moment happened, I hope you can understand. I just wanted to write something fun and sexy.

Now what did you think of this chapter? Hope you liked it.

It was my first time writing Japril smut, but I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Anyways, let me know what you think by reviewing.

Also, please know that English is not my first language, so any spelling or grammar mistakes you might find, let me know.

Keep posted, because I'm going to update soon.

Much love, Annie.


	3. it's called compromise

"I'm sorry you can't stay for longer." Jackson said, leading his mother through the airport's hallway.

Catherine only arrived yesterday to town, but a sudden emergency meeting back in Boston made her leave sooner than she'd like. After yesterday's events, with the explosion at the mall, she barely had time to be with her son and daughter-in-law, but she made sure that today she spent as much as time with them as she could.

"Huh…huh…I know you're not that sorry." She replied not amused, while intertwining an arm in her son's arm. "Jackson, you're my son. I know you're not too excited about my presence here."

"Don't say that, mom."

"It's true!" She affirmed "But I don't care. And you better get used to my presence here, since I'm going to be a grandmother soon."

"Right."

"Anyways, who would've thought…April Kepner, the sweet shy girl I met a few years ago, is going to be the mother of my grandchildren?" Catherine Avery stated, as she walked side by side her son. "I would have never guessed. But you know what, baby?"

"What?"

Catherine stopped to face her son, placing one hand on his face. "I wouldn't want it any other way." Jackson smiled. He couldn't agree more with his mother. "I've always liked April. She's a sweet, loving, very intelligent woman. She has her mind on the right place…she's not like any of the bimbos you used to date."

"Mom…again…don't…"

"But I think you guys are trying to kill me!" she continued, ignoring his reply.

"How so?" he wondered.

"Well...first, a surprise wedding, when I didn't even know you were a… thing; then, a surprise baby…I'm telling you, if you keep surprising me like this, my poor heart might not be able to take it anymore!"

"Mom…" Jackson simply said, somehow knowing she was probably not overreacting, since he – himself - wasn't even sure how things changed so quickly.

"Now, about the conversation we had a few days ago over the phone…"

"We already had this argument." He said, before letting her carry on. "I don't know if April's…"

"April's an Avery now." Catherine replied, with a firm voice. "Not only that, but soon she'll be raising one. It's important that she learns about the family business and you are the one who's going to teach her how."

"I don't know if she's ready…or even if she wants to."

"Jackson, you know how this things work."

He rolled his eyes at her statement. Of course he knew how this things worked, he grew up knowing it. He didn't want to put April through what it meant to be an Avery and by making what his mother was asking him to, it would put him in that exact position. But his mother could be a very persistent woman when she wanted to, so the best thing to do was to agree. "Ok, mom…fine. I'll talk to April to see what she says. But I'm not promising you anything…April's pregnant and I definitely don't want to see her stressed out over this."

His mother smiled satisfied with his answer, before leaning in for a kiss. "Great. Now, say goodbye to your mother. I don't want to miss my flight."

…

When Jackson got home, he found his wife sleeping peacefully on the couch. Sitting on the coffee table in front of her, he decided not to wake her up just yet. Yesterday's events really took a tool on her. They were still trying to get used to the changes in their lives and the stress provided by the possibility of a terrorist attack was enough to let all her fears about raising a child come to the surface. That night, she slept curled into his arms and Jackson had to wake her up in the middle of the night, because she was having a nightmare. But she eventually calmed down, after listening to his comforting words.

Now, looking at her, Jackson could not believe his luck. He was actually married to the only woman who could make his heart skip a bit. He loved her more than words could say. His quirky best friend, who eventually turned into a mature sexy woman, was not only his wife, but the mother of his child. He couldn't wait to meet their baby, to hold him, to love him even more. He or she was a product of their love. Unconsciously, he placed a hand on her stomach. She was barely showing, but he could not stop thinking about their baby and the changes he must be going through at this stage: from the little fingers in his hands, to his toenails, that most likely are starting to curl; from the small movements of his mouth, to the fact that his face looked more like a human; their baby would probably be almost three inches long, but even though he was little, he had already taken all of Jackson's heart.

Feeling his hand on her stomach made April open her eyes. "Hey." She said, taking a deep breath. "You're home."

"I am. Just dropped my mom off and she sends you kisses, which I'm going to deliver… as the obedient boy that I am." He replied, getting closer to her body, to kiss her full on the mouth.

"Jackson…" she said, in between kisses. "I don't think these are the kind of kisses your mom had in mind!"

"Well…" he simply stated, before proceeding to deepen the kiss. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's ok…I guess I'm just too tired. Your mother worn me out today. All she wanted to do was talk and talk and talk about me, my health, the baby's health, the delivery…honestly, she has my pregnancy more controlled than I do."

"I'm sorry about that." He apologized, putting a lock of her hair behind her ear. "She can be a little overwhelming sometimes."

"Yeah, but I understand. She's just excited."

"Yeah…" Jackson looked at his wife and sat straight. "Actually, there's something I want to talk to you about. It's something my mom asked me to."

"What is it?" She asked, following her husband and sitting straight too.

"Well, it's just that...my mom…she…asked me to." He was dancing around his words, trying to figure how to say what he wanted to.

"Jackson, tell me. What is it?" April questioned her husband again.

"I…it's just that…" He was trying to say it right, trying to avoid an argument, because apparently every time they talked about the Avery Foundation and the rules it followed, it lead to a fight. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "My mom considers you an Avery too, April. She told me that today." He looked at his wife, who had a suspicious stare on her face. "And the Avery Foundation prides itself for being a family institution…for giving value to family principles."

"Ok…" she said, not quite understanding where he was going with that.

"Every year, the Foundation…my mom… throws a party to collects funds, you know, for charity, for research …things like that." He saw her nod her head. "And this year, since we got married and everything, my mom is asking for our presence there…for your presence there."

"Wow, what?" He could tell by the slight peak of her voice that she was getting a little nervous about the issue. "Jackson, you know I don't want anything to do with the Avery Foundation. That's your department, that's your business…not mine. I don't see why I should be there."

"Because you're part of the family now and my mom wants to introduce you to…"

"Wait!" she said, standing up. "Oh, now I see what's going on here. Your mother wants to introduce me to…society. It that what it is? Now that I'm part of your family I should get some status, some…I don't know…prestige?"

"No, that's not…"

"It is, Jackson." She stopped him before he could say anything else. "Does she want to introduce me to people because we got married without anybody knowing? Does she want to, somehow, validate our marriage in other people's eyes? Is that it?"

"No, baby…that's not…"

"Because if that's the case, then…"

"That's not the case, April, would you please calm down?" He was used to his wife's ramblings and even though they could be very annoying at times, he had learned by now how to deal with them. "My mother loves you, April. She wants you there, at the party, because she loves you, because she's proud that you're my wife; she's proud of who you are and yes…maybe she wants to show you off, but that's not because she wants society to accept you. No, she wants you there, because the Foundation is a family thing and you're part of the family now."

"Then how come you never told me about this party before?"

"Well, I've never told you about it, because usually I skip it. I avoid this kind of things, because I find them boring and people stare at me and I just feel too exposed. Everyone wants to talk to me, bother me with their suck ass."

"So why do you want to go now?" she wondered, with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Because, like I said…the Foundation is a family thing. It's not only a business, it's a heritage. And I know you don't like to talk about it or do anything with it, but let's face the facts, April…" He got up from where he was sitting and walked towards her. "You're not only my wife, but the mother of my child. Sooner or later this is going to be a part of our lives on a deeper level, especially after the baby arrives." Placing his hands around her waist, he made her look at him. "And I need you with me to help me run this massive institution, to help raise our kids to be amazing people, who make good decisions, because…the Foundation is not just a business, it's so much more than that. It helps people, it saves people in an indirect way. So…"

"Jackson…" she whispered, taking a deep breath.

"Going to this party it's just the first step, ok? It's not a big deal."

"It's a big deal to me." she said, stepping back from his arms and sitting again on the couch. "I've never been to this kind of social events. And you know how awkward I can be…and I tend to leave bad first impressions on people because of that and…"

"April, don't say that. It's not true."

"It is. It is and I know it." She confessed. "And I feel like people are going to stare at me and judge me, especially now that I'm pregnant. I don't know if I'm ready."

"Hey…" he said, sitting next to her on the couch. "It's just a party, ok? I know you love parties. Trust me when I say you'll love this one. Mom always throws the best parties in town!"

"I don't know, Jackson. I don't know how to behave at events like that or what to do or say."

"You don't have to worry about it. You just have to be you and people will love you just the way you are." He took her hand on his, squeezing it. "Look at me…I fell in love with you just the way you are."

She smiled at his words, but he could tell his wife was not completely sold on the idea.

"Can I think about it first, before I make a decision?" she asked him, leaning on his shoulder.

"Of course you can, baby." He replied, putting an arm around her back. "Think about it and we'll figure it out."

"Thanks."

"But now let's just go to bed." He suggested, getting up from the couch, taking her with him. "Get a good night of sleep, maybe cuddle a little…"

"Jackson Avery, I honestly never took you for a cuddler before we got together." She said, following him to the bedroom.

"Well, that's because I only became one after being with you, so…"

"Then I'm glad you did."

…

The next day, Jackson was scrubbing in when he saw April entering the room. "Hey." He said, smiling at her.

"Hi, honey." She replied. "Going to surgery, I see."

"Yes, I'm doing a tummy tuck. It shouldn't take long, though."

"Oh, ok…"

"Is everything ok?" He asked, after seeing her scratch the back of her head.

"Yeah, everything's fine." She replied. "Actually, I just wanted to talk to you about the conversation we had last night."

"Oh, ok."

"I'll go."

"What?"

"I'll go to the party."

He quickly moved his head to look at her, surprised by how fast she made her decision. "April, are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I mean, you're right. I'm an Avery now…I'll go."

"Are you really sure? Because I don't want you to stress out over this. If you're not ready, then I'll talk to my mom; I'll let her know you're not…"

"Jackson, I'll go and I'll be fine. I promise." She looked at him with a peaceful smile on her face. "And if I start stressing out over it, I know I'll have you there to calm me down, right?"

"Right!" he stated. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Great." She said, approaching him to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Now go…I'll see at home, ok?"

…

Later that day, Jackson came home from work to find his wife leaning against the stove, as she cooked diner. "Of course I've talked to him, daddy." He heard her say. "Oh, actually he just got home." She smiled at him after noticing his presence and continued. "Ok, I'm gonna put him on. Be nice to him, daddy. Ok, I love you. Bye-bye."

Jackson saw her pushing the phone towards him, not completely sure of what was going on. "What?"

"It's my dad. He wants to talk to you."

"Your dad? Why?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Jackson…" she insisted. "Just grab the phone and talk to him."

Seeing that he had no other choice, he took a breath a picked the phone from her hand. "Hum, hello?"

April whispered a short. "I'm sorry". She knew how nervous Jackson could be when talking to her parents. After the wedding, she didn't really had the chance to formally introduce him as her husband to them; actually, they still haven't met since the fiasco of her wedding.

Paying close attention to their conversation, she could feel Jackson tense up in front of her. And yes, she lied to her father; she didn't have the conversation with Jackson, she never even mentioned it before. But after another phone call from her mother, earlier that day, asking her the same thing that she asked a few days ago, April felt like it was now or never. Especially now, that she had something to give Jackson in return of this favor.

"Hum, yes. Of course, Mr Kepner. I'll see what I can do. I promise we'll work something out." She heard him reply. "Yes, I'm taking good care of your daughter…and the baby's fine too. Ok, thank you. Good-bye."

As soon as he got off the phone, he looked at her with fulminating eyes. "What the hell, April?"

"I'm sorry…" she tried to apologize.

"You shove the phone into my face, without even giving me a heads up. Besides, you lied to your parents. You said you've talked to me about this, but you've never…"

"I know, I know…I'm sorry." She said again, trying to calm him down. "I know I should've…"

"Then your father comes to me about us going to Moline for a few days, to attend some church fair or something and I had to pretend like I knew about it from the start, because you lied to them… and to me."

"Jackson, that's not what I meant. I just figured that…"

"And now, I've agreed to it, because you put me on the hot seat. You told your father I could give us a few days at work and now I promised we would be there next weekend." He wasn't letting her finish her sentences, so she knew how stressed out he was. "And now I'm supposed to work things out back in the hospital in order for us to go there and I'm not even sure if I'm ready to face your family."

"Jackson…" she said, moving next to him. "I don't know why you get so nervous when it comes to talking to my dad. I mean, it's not like he's going to hurt you or something."

"But I'm sure he'd like to." He confessed. "I feel like he sees me as the man who corrupted his daughter."

"That's not what he thinks of you."

"Well, I sure feel like it. I mean, the last time he saw me, I was stealing you from your wedding."

"You didn't steal me from my wedding." She said, placing a hand on his arm, gently moving it up and down, in order to ease his worries. "I ran away with you by my own choice. I'm sure he wasn't too thrilled with the idea at first, but then he came around. He likes you, Jackson. Not only him, but my mom, my sisters…"

"Oh, wait a minute." He took two steps back, finally realizing something. "I know what you just did!"

"Hum, what are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about. You sneaky little…wife!" he said, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. "Now I see why you agreed on going to the Foundation party with me."

"I still don't know what…" she lied. He was right about it and he knew it. Of course he'd find out sooner or later.

"You agreed on going to the party, so that in return I'd go to Moline with you."

"No, that's not what I meant. It was just a coincidence that my parents came up with this right now." She lied again.

"April, I might not know much about church and the bible, but I do know that lying is a sin. So quit it, ok?"

She looked at him knowing that there was no use on hiding the truth from him. "Ok, fine. I might've thought about it, but…"

"I knew it!" he grinned, knowing how he was right from the beginning.

"But, in my defense, if I need to learn how to be an Avery, then you need to know how the Kepners roll."

"Oh is that so?" he asked, pointing a finger at her. "Well, don't you ever do that to me… ever again, April Kepner." She noticed how he put an emphasis on her last name. "Don't you ever put me on the hot spot again!"

"Ok, fine…I'm sorry!" she apologized once again. "So, this means we're going?"

He looked at her and nod his head. "Yes, we're going. I made a promise to the man. After running away with his daughter on the day of her wedding and getting her pregnant, I think this is the least I can do to make him not hate me more."

"He doesn't hate you, Jackson."

"Yeah, yeah…" he replied, walking to the bedroom. "I'm gonna take a shower. I need it, after all the stress you just put me through."

"Well, don't take too long. Diner's almost ready."

"I still can't believe it. My sweet loving wife, just tricked me. Unbelievable." She heard him ramble all the way to the bedroom.

"It's called compromise, for your information. If I need to attend your things, then you need to attend mine." She shouted at him from the kitchen. "And by the way, you're going to love Moline."

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

So what did you think about this chapter?

I guess the Averys are going to Moline. Prepare yourselves, because the next chapter is going to be a good one (it might even include a little smut!)

Anyways, thank you for your support. I really love it when you review and tell me how you feel about the story. The fact that you're enjoying reading it makes me smile.

I'm going to try to update soon (maybe by the weekend), so keep tuned.

Also, please note that English's not my first language, so any spelling or grammar mistakes you might find, let me know.

Ok, review as you please and let me know what you think.

Much love, Annie.

PS: the Avery Foundation party is happening too. But later on the story.


	4. teenage dream

**RATED M**

**Japril smut ahead!**

…

When they landed in Ohio, April's father was there to pick them up at the airport. She couldn't be more thrilled that Jackson had agreed on spending the weekend at her hometown, with her family. The thought that she had left Moline not so long ago without even having a boyfriend only to return with her husband made April smile. Now she was finally getting the change to introduce Jackson to people as her husband.

Seeing how nervous he was about meeting with her father, she held his hand all the way through the airport. When they finally got together, her father was very polite, leaving Jackson more at ease. It was a good thing that her family had finally accepted her life changing decision to run away with him. They were pretty mad at first, but they eventually came around.

They arrived in Moline around dinner time. Her mom greeted Jackson with a big hug, which left him speechless, since he was not expecting this kind of affection. He was sure they all hated him for what he had done to their daughter.

After all the hugs and greetings, Karen Kepner indicated that she had April's bedroom prepared for them, so they made their way upstairs to put their bags down before dinner.

.

When they entered the room, Jackson put down the travelling bag he was carrying and took a look around. The room was simple, girly, but seemed very comfortable. However, as soon as he took a look at the walls of her bedroom covered with N'SYNC posters, he couldn't help but laugh. April looked at him, without understanding the sudden burst of laughter coming from her husband. When she realized what was happening, she quickly turned red.

"Oh my Gosh, I completely forgot about this…" she said, moving towards the walls. "…this is so embarrassing!"

"April, don't freak out." He tried to calm her down.

"I'm gonna take this off…Oh my Gosh!" she ignored him, raising her arms to take off a poster on the wall.

"April…"

"Why isn't this thing coming off?" he could tell she was getting frustrated when the tape holding the posters on the wall was as glued as a rock. "I mean…they've been stuck here for years, the glue should be worn out by now."

"April…" he said, stepping closer to her. Placing one hand on hers, he stopped her frenetic movements. "…stop!"

"Jackson, you don't understand. This is my teenage bedroom. No one has ever been in here…no boy, at least." Her face was completely red. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Hey, don't be. It's ok." He replied, sliding one hand up and down her arm in comfort. "I actually think this is kind of cute."

"I'm so ashamed. I should've taken them down the last time I was here, but…I guess I just got used to seeing them on the wall. I just…"

"Honey, it's ok. Really." He assured her, placing his arms around her waist. "I'm fine with them, really."

"Don't you think it's embarrassing that a grown woman like me has the walls of her bedroom covered with N'SYNC posters?" she asked, completely mortified.

"No, of course not." He reassured her, planting a quick kiss on top of her head. "So, this were the posters you used to look up to when you prayed that that revirginizing thing worked out, hum?"

She looked at him with a curious look on her face. "How do you even remember that?"

"Well, it wasn't that long ago." He noted. "Besides, how could I forget that once my own wife turned me down?"

"Hey, I never turned you down." She said, throwing a soft punch on his shoulder. "When I got back to Seattle, all it took was for me to hear your voice once and I was back in bed with you, so…"

"True!" he said, with a cocky smile on his face, before taking her lips in for a kiss. "Anyways, is it true that I'm the only guy who's ever been in here?"

She gave him a small, almost timid, smile. "Hum, yes. For your information no boy ever found me attractive growing up."

"How is that even possible?" he wondered, kissing her again. He would never tell her, but the fact that he was the first man to ever put two feet on her bedroom made him feel extremely happy. Actually, the fact that he was the only man with whom she had ever been with made him feel more special than ever. Her body was a temple only he would ever enter and even though he never really cared about his ex-girlfriends previous sex encounters, with April things were different. He almost prided himself for being her one and only. "But you know what?"

"What?" she asked, her lips still touching his.

"Even though I don't mind the posters on your wall, I don't know how your Justin Timberlake praying god is going to feel when he sees us having sex in here?"

"Oh, you plan on having sex in here?"

"I do." He said, talking so quietly only she could hear. "I mean…we need to devirginize your bed."

"You want to devirginize my bed?" she asked, placing her hands on his strong arms. "You want to devirginize my bed like you devirginized me?"

"Maybe…"

He was about to lean in for a kiss, when he heard her mother's voice from behind. "Oh…I'm sorry to bother you!"

Jackson almost jumped, quickly taking a step back, untangling his arms from April's waist. Seeing his reaction made her want to tease him. It was the first time she saw him have a reaction like this. "It's ok, mom."

"Well, I just came here to bring you guys some clean towels." The woman said, putting a pair of towels on the bed. "Here they are. Dinner's ready so…"

"Thanks mom." April replied. "We'll be downstairs in a minute."

When her mother left the room, leaving them alone once again, she turned to Jackson with a teasing look on her face. "You've got to stop being so nervous around them."

"I'm sorry, I just feel so awkward…I don't know!"

"You're my husband now. You're allowed to hug me and kiss me in front of people, Jackson."

"Ok, I said I'm sorry."

Taking him by the hand, April started to make her way out of the bedroom. "Well, let's go. Dinner's ready and I'm starving."

…

It was past midnight and April was still fully awake. They were in bed – her bed - and the thoughts about the last time she had slept in there, with all the crazy dreams about her and Jackson and the amazing sex they had that kept haunting her mind, were too distractive. And now, here they were, sleeping together. Her back to his chest; his hand on her waist; she could listen to his soft breath right behind her ear. But she couldn't sleep.

Turning around to face her husband, she quietly asked. "Jackson, are you sleeping?"

"Yes." He mumbled in his sleep.

"Oh, ok." She replied, taking a deep breath.

Somehow noticing something was up Jackson, with his eyes still closed, pulled her closer to his body. "Why?"

"It's nothing." She lied, getting comfortable against his chest. Feeling him so close was too much; she could feel his heartbeat, the defined muscles under his shirt, his personal scent…everything about him was driving her crazy. Taking a deep breath to inhale him, she finally confessed. "It's just that I can't sleep."

"Is everything ok?" he asked, burying his nose into her hair to smell the sweet perfume of her shampoo.

"Yeah…yeah, everything's fine." She placed her hands on his chest and intertwined her legs with his. "It's just I can't stop thinking about what you said earlier."

"What did I say earlier?" he asked, holding the side of her waist with his hand.

"Well, what you said earlier about wanting to devirginize my bed." She admitted. "It's all I can think about right now. We're lying in my bed, the bed I used to sleep in as a teenager; we're in my bedroom and the thought of my parents being just down the hall makes everything even more exciting." She could sense that Jackson was more awake now, so slowly she started planting kisses on his neck. "It makes me feel like I'm a teenager again and everything's turning me on right now."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." She said, loosening her body against his arms to turn him onto his back. "And the fact is…I've never had a boy in my bedroom, let alone in my bed. Jackson…" she continued, whispering in his ear. "…you're the first one. The first and only one to… know my body, to be inside of me, to make me feel pleasure like I've never felt before and…it all starts here."

She was now on top of him, with her hips touching his groin. She could feel him tense up with just the sound of her words. "It all starts here, because this is everything I wanted when I was a teenager. I wanted a husband who loved me, who made me feel special every day. I prayed to God…I prayed for you." She continued to plant kisses on his neck. "And I dreamed about you…here, lying next to me; I dreamed about having you here…about loving you here."

"April…" he whispered, starting to lose control.

"I was a church girl, but I was a human too. And that means that, like every other teenager, I felt changes in my body…changes that I controlled for too long, but now you're here with me and I don't want to control myself anymore." She slipped her hands under his shirt, gently lifting it up. "I want you, Jackson, to help me live my teenage dreams, because you…" She said, moving her lips to his now bare chest. "…and only you matter to me."

"I…" Jackson tried to say something, but the words fled from his mouth when he felt April's lips travelling down his torso.

"And I love feeling you inside of me, Jackson." She continued, moving her hips against his growing member in a slow motion. She wanted to tease him, to feel his member rise against her. "I never thought that making love would feel this good, but it does. And it's all because of you, because you helped me discover sex and the pleasure in it."

Jackson ran his hands up April's thighs, resting them on her waist. "April, you're really turning me on right now. We're…your parents are just down the hall. I…"

"Don't you feel like a teenager again?" she cut him off, moving her lips up again to his neck. "Don't you feel a rush through your body with just the thought of doing something like this…something naughty like this?"

He completely lost his words. He didn't even know what to say and looking at his wife like this, with every inch of her body screaming in desire, made him crave her even more.

"Jackson, I don't have to control myself anymore, nor do I want to…" she said, letting her hands travel from his chest, to the top of his pants. "Before you met me, when I was just a teenage girl, nobody ever found me sexy or attractive and you were the first one to see me that way. I've wanted you for so long, but those thoughts were so wrong…wanting you was so wrong. Then, when I finally had the guts to kiss you, to let you have me…I felt like you brought me back to life." She slipped both his boxers and pajama pants down his legs at the same time, making him moan with pleasure. "But guess what? Wanting you is not wrong anymore. And I want you…badly." She kneeled by his side and grabbed his erection.

Feeling her hand on his hard member made Jackson gasp for air. He had to remind himself to keep it quiet, because they were not completely alone. But at the same time, the thought of them not being completely alone made him feel more excited than ever. Yes, April was right…he was feeling like a teenager again.

She kissed his chest, slowly making her way down. His heart was racing and his mind started to lose focus as she continued to stroke his erection. "April…" he murmured, as quietly as possible.

She kept stroking his penis softly and gently with one hand, while with the other she stimulated his testicles. For someone who had no previous sex experiences, April quickly learned the ways to please her husband. Now, she was very good at it, knowing all his soft spots, when to act and what to do.

Suddenly he felt her lips plant small kisses around the head. He looked up, making eye contact with his wife. When she met his eyes, she started licking his member, from bottom to top, still holding it in her hands. Her tongue, licking him like a melting ice cream, made him want to scream.

Then, she leaned closer, opening her mouth slowly. He felt her hot breath, the wetness in her lips. It was too much for him to take. He couldn't wait anymore. "Baby…" he whispered, as an indication that he needed her. She smiled at him, feeling empowered. And then she did it, she took him fully in.

In a steady rhythm, she started going further down his shaft, coming back up again. She could hear Jackson's moans, which made her work even harder on him. She loved seeing him like that, completely lost in her and she loved having control over the situation. "Don't stop." He said. She surely wasn't planning on stopping. And so she widened her mouth, letting his penis go further down her throat. It felt so good making him feel this way.

Jackson could feel April increasing the rhythm, which made him close his eyes and let his hand rest on the back of her head, intertwining his fingers in her hair. Moving his hand with her head up and down, he knew he was coming to the edge. "Hum…April…I'm…" he tried to warn her, before reaching his orgasm. When he came, her mouth was still on his erection, as he ejaculated inside of her.

Feeling accomplished, April moved next to him, lying by his side. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his chest moving violently up and down, as he still tried to catch his breath.

"That was incredible, baby." He said, kissing her temple. "Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome, honey." She replied, her fingers rubbing his torso.

"Was this part of your teenage dream?" Jackson asked, turning to his side to face her.

"It was." She shyly confessed.

Jackson smiled at his wife, before moving his lips to hers. It didn't take long for him to deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue inside her mouth. Cupping her face with one hand, they moved their tongues together for a while. But eventually things escalated when he slipped one hand between her cotton pajama pants. She was wet down there. He played with her clit, rubbing it. He wanted to make her feel good too.

"Jackson…" she whispered. He could feel her smile against his lips and that made him decide it was time to get rid of the clothing still covering her body.

Sliding her pants and panties down her legs, he re-positioned so that now he was on top of her. Kissing her deeply, he felt her legs hug his hips. Soon enough, her top came off and he started plating kisses on her exposed skin.

Licking the way from her neck to her chest, he stopped when he reached her nipple, to take it in his mouth. With a nipple between his teeth, April squirt in delight.

Feeling his mouth sucking her breast, she let her head fall back on the pillow, closing her eyes. Her nipples seemed to be more sensitive now more than ever and that was definitely one of the good things about being pregnant.

"You're so beautiful." He said, before playing his tongue with her other nipple. "I don't understand how anyone could not find you beautiful before."

"Jackson…?" she wondered, still very timid when it came to hearing her husband complimenting her like that.

Making his way to her lips again, he kissed her. Then, he looked at her with a spark of lust on his eyes. "You said no one ever found you attractive growing up and I don't see how that's possible, because you, April, are the most beautiful woman I've ever met. And if I'm your teenage dream, then you're mine too." he put his lips closer to her ear before whispering "I love you."

Placing her hands behind his head, she made him come up to meet her lips once more. "Jackson…" she said, breathing heavy. "…make love to me."

He couldn't help but grin at her request. Making love to her was all he wanted to do right now. And so, without taking a minute longer, he entered her with a sudden move.

April gasped when she felt him inside of her. It felt good. Too good. And it felt even better when they started rhythmically moving together.

He could feel her nails scratching his back, as her hips moved up and down with his. Hearing his wife moan in pleasure made him want to please her even more. So, he pulled his length deeper inside of her.

"Oh…" she moaned.

Realizing how load she had spoken, he quickly whispered into her ear. "We have to keep it down, baby. Remember…"

"Huh…" she trembled against his body, feeling another wave of pleasure coming through her spine. "…I can't…Jacks…"

He tried to focus on her face full of desire. She was biting her lower lip, with her eyes closed. But soon enough she opened her mouth to moan again. He wanted to help her come first as he always did. However, seeing her aroused like that was making him lose control too. "April…"

"Faster…" she demanded. He felt her legs clinch against his hips. It was sign that she needed to feel closer to him, to let him come deeper inside of her.

Then, knowing how close she was to reaching her orgasm, he silenced her groan putting his mouth on her lips as hard and fast as he could. He savored her taste as he continued pushing himself against her.

Finally they both found themselves up in cloud nine.

Jackson was still inside of her when April burst into a laughter. Looking at her he couldn't help but smile too. "April?"

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry." She apologized, without being able to stop laughing.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, lying next to her, supporting his weigh with an arm. "April?" he repeated when she wouldn't stop giggling.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" she said, trying to catch her breath. "…I'm just thinking about the teenage me."

"How about it?"

"Well, the teenage me never would've thought that it was going to be possible to have a moment like this…" she continued, giggling. "…she would've never thought it was possible to have someone like you making love to me."

Jackson looked at her with very proud eyes. She had come a very long way from her awkward teenage years and he was part of the reason why. "Come here." He said, holding her close to his body.

April tangled herself in his arms knowing how astonished her teenage self must have been if only she'd imagined her life right now. "I love you, Jackson."

He smiled at the sound of her words. Planting a kiss on her forehead he simply said. "I love you too."

…

April woke up when the first rays of sunlight started filling up the room. Jackson was still sound asleep next to her.

Looking at her husband sleeping so peacefully like that made her wonder how lucky she could be. After all the crappy teenage years, the pimples and the braces, the bullying and the self-consciousness over her own body she was finally really, really happy. Her husband was a very handsome; she knew how every woman turned their heads when he walked into a room; how they drooled while staring at his beautiful eyes. And somehow…he had chosen her. Out of all the women on planet earth, she was the one he chose.

She tried to fight her urge to kiss him, but it was useless. So, she started planting sweet kisses on his jawline. It still amazed her how she would never feel tired of him, of his body, of his taste, of making love to him.

They were still naked from last night. Her legs tangled in his. She could feel his member against her thigh. The truth was they had a very active sexual life and maybe that's why she got pregnant so soon. The desire they both shared for each other at all times made them do crazy things and having unprotected sex multiple times was one of them.

She didn't regret getting pregnant. She already loved her child more than she could tell. And even though having a child so soon was going to take a tool on their newlywed life, she didn't really care. Their baby was made out of love and that's all that mattered.

Feeling her lips on his cheek made Jackson wake up too. "Good-morning!" he said, hugging her closer.

"Good-morning."

"How did you sleep?" he asked, planting a kiss on top of her head.

"I slept very well. Especially after our nocturnal activity."

"Right." He said, while she rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't know how I'm going to face your parents after that."

"Why?" she wondered, massaging his still bare chest with a free hand.

"I don't know. I feel like I've done something wrong. Like I'm gonna get caught or something."

"Oh, look who's feeling like a teenager now?" she teased him. "Anyways, I'm pretty sure they know we're having sex now…remember?" she said, pointing at her stomach.

Jackson smiled and quickly moved, travelling under the sheet that was covering their naked bodies. "And how is my baby doing today?"

"Jackson…" she giggled when he kissed her small baby bump.

"Sorry about last night, baby." He continued talking to her stomach. "But you know how mommy gets when she can't sleep. Besides, I think that your presence here is turning mommy into a nymphomaniac…she's always in desperate need for daddy's…"

"Jackson…" she cut him off, smacking him. "…don't tell the baby those things."

"Like it's not the truth." He reappeared from under the sheet, with a grin on his face. "Don't you know I've noticed how horny you've been lately?"

"You're embarrassing me right now. It's like I'm a freaking sex lunatic."

"No, I'm not saying you are a sex lunatic." He said, kissing her lips. "Or at least I'm not saying your appetite is a bad thing. Actually, I find it a very, very good thing."

"Oh really?" she asked, in between kisses. "Then I'm sure you won't mind continuing my teenage dreams from where we left them last night!"

Jackson smirked and climbed on top of her. "Of course not, baby. I'll do anything to make your dreams come true."

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

Long and sexy chapter…I know!

This one goes for all you japril smut loving people out there. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it. Tell me what you think by reviewing.

Anyways, a lot is still happening back in Moline, so I hope you keep reading because the next chapter is going to be a good one too.

Thank you for all your reviews. They mean a lot to me. Keep reviewing, please!

Also note that English is not my first language, so any mistakes you might find, let me know.

Keep reading my story and enjoying it as well.

Love,

Annie.


	5. the best thing i never had

"Hey mom…" April said, entering the kitchen, where her mother was preparing a cake to bring to the church fair. "…Jackson and I are going for a walk, ok?"

"Of course, dear." Karen replied. "Just make sure you're home by five. People can't wait to see you and meet your husband. You know how nosy they can be!"

"Right. Well don't worry about it. We'll be home by five." Planting a kiss on her mother's cheek, she made her way outside, where Jackson was waiting for her.

It was a little past 3 PM when they decided to leave for a little while. Being at the farm all day, teaching Jackson all the things she used to do when she lived there, with her father by their side, made them crave for some alone time.

Her parents and Jackson were getting along very well and he was starting to lose his awkwardness around her father. It was quite good being surrounded by her family like this.

Jackson was waiting for her at the front porch of the house. She found him petting the family dog, but as soon as he noticed her presence, he got up to face her. "Where are we going?" he asked.

She smiled and showed him the pair of keys she was holding in her hand. "Follow me, please."

April leaded her husband to the garage, but made him wait outside while she got in there.

After a few minutes, Jackson saw her coming out of the garage driving an old blue Chevy pickup truck. "What is this?"

She got out of the car and leaned against it with a very proud look on her face. "This is my pickup truck."

Jackson looked at her astonished. "Your pickup truck?"

"Yes, my pickup truck." She said. "When I was sixteen, I took my driver's license. But my dad couldn't afford to buy me a new car, so he gave me his own pickup truck."

"And you drove this to school?"

She could tell he was having a hard time believing that that old car was actually hers. "Of course I did, Jackson. It was kind of embarrassing sometimes, I'm not gonna lie, but driving this was way better than taking the bus or walking to school. Besides, I didn't grow up like you. My family was never rich, so..."

"Hey, I'm not judging you, I'm just…surprised. I knew you were a farmer girl." He said, stepping closer to her and placing his arms on each side of her body, trapping her against the car. "I just never took you for the kind of girl who drove pickup trucks…it's actually kind of hot."

She looked at him with a tease, before freeing herself from his arms. "Well, save that for later. We've got to go." April skirted the pickup truck to sit on the passenger side. "Let's go, Jackson. You're driving."

"This is definitely a day of firsts: first time milking a cow, first time giving pigs their breakfast, first day collecting chickens' eggs. Now, first time driving a pickup truck." He sat on the driver's seat and tried to adjust to the small space. He was definitely too big for that car, but he didn't complain. "Where to?" he asked, turning on the car.

"I'll give you the directions. Right now just leave the farm and go straight ahead." She indicated.

"Ok." He replied, deciding it was time to change the topic. "So did your parents say anything about me?"

"Hum, sort of…" she said. "…mom thinks you're very handsome. Today, when we were cooking lunch, she told me I made the right choice by staying with you…and not only because of your looks, of course. She really thinks you're a nice man, very polite, intelligent. And I definitely think that the fact that you offered to milk the cow this morning earned you some points with her."

"Yeah, that was fun." Jackson smiled at the memory of today's events. He dealt with more animals that morning than ever in his life. "I've never been so close to a cow before, so that was definitely a first one to me."

"And you did very good." She said, tapping his leg, feeling very proud of her man. "Anyways, daddy likes you too."

"So he doesn't want to kill me anymore?"

"No, I think you're good." April looked at him with an amused smile on her face. She loved how her husband turned into a nervous teenager when it came to her father. "Besides, daddy says he only wants to see me happy. If I'm happy then he's happy. And I'm very, very happy right now."

"I'm glad you are, because I am too."

"Thank you for coming here this weekend, Jackson. It really means a lot to me." she confessed. "Seeing you interact with my family and not being totally bored about learning things about life in the farm, it really means a lot to me."

"I just want to make you happy, April. I love you, so doing the things you love is not that hard."

"Thank you, baby." She replied, feeling her heart almost melt with his sweet words. "Oh, now turn here…" she said, pointing out to her right.

"Where are we going after all?"

"You'll see. Just wait, ok?"

"Ok." he said, keeping his eyes on the road. "Does this thing have a radio or something?"

"No, actually it doesn't. When daddy gave me this truck, the radio was already broken and we were never able to fix it." She noted, reaching to touch the buttons on the car's dashboard. "But I think I left a cassette tape on the cassette player the last I drove it."

"Cassette player?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, this thing must be really, really old."

"Oh shut up. Let me see."

As soon as she touched the button, a song started playing through the old car speakers. April recognized the song and immediately started singing along.

"_We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout. We've been talking 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out. I'm going to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around…"_

Realizing what the lyrics actually meant, she looked at Jackson, who quickly took a look back at her, and couldn't help but giggle.

"What song is this, April?" he asked, very intrigued.

"Hum, this is Johnny Cash and June Carter. It's called Jackson, ironically." She replied, turning the volume down. "I've had this cassette in here for years and I've been listening to it since…I don't know…since I was sixteen. I swear I didn't realize what it meant before, but…oh my gosh…the first lines of this song are pretty much about us, about…you know, if we replace the fact that they're referring to Jackson as a town to a person, then…"

He could tell she was starting to ramble, but he didn't mind. He had always find it cute when she started her long ramblings, so he let her continue.

"…then, this means I've been listening to a perfect description of our wedding for the past few I don't know how many years without even having a clue that something like that would ever happen, because we did got married in a fever." She carried on in complete delight. "I've always loved Johnny and June. I think their love story is so romantic. Did you know they fell in love but they were with other people? Then they had this kind of weird relationship going on, because they loved each other, but life got in the way. Anyways, they got together in the end."

Jackson took her hand and placed it close to his lips to kiss it. He was pretty familiar with rollercoaster type love stories, since theirs was basically one of them.

Feeling his soft lips kissing her hand, April couldn't help but smile. Somehow, she understood what Jackson meant with that gesture. Then, she placed his hand on her small baby bump and continued. "When June died, Johnny died four months later…that's pretty morbid, I know, but yet so romantic."

"Yeah, it is." He agreed, caressing her stomach with his free hand.

.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination. It was a wide and open space, surrounded by a variety of different trees. There was absolutely nobody in there, but them. The sound of insects could be heard from a distance and the way the wind played with the treetops, made them look like they were dancing. In the center of that space, there was a small lake. The water, surrounded by wild flowers, stood still, calmly reflecting the sun.

"Where are we?" Jackson asked, stopping the pickup.

"This is the place all the cool kids used to hang out during the summer." She replied, rolling down the window on her side to let some fresh air in. "Of course I was not part of that group, but…I don't know, I just remembered this place and somehow I wanted to bring you here."

"It's beautiful." He said, looking at his surroundings.

"Yeah, yeah it is."

April was lost in her own memories; he could tell how her facial expressions were changing the more she stared at the calm waters. "So you used to come here?"

"Hum, no. Not very often." She confessed, not even looking at him. "I was not one of the cool kids, so…no. This was the place everyone used to hang out during the summer. People used to come here to have fun, make out…you know, things normal teenagers do."

"Right."

"I don't know why I wanted to bring you here. Somehow all the memories from my teenage years are filling up my mind. I don't know why…I really don't. You're the first boyfriend I ever brought home…I guess it makes me feel like I'm a teenager again, which pretty ridiculous considering I'm a thirty year old married, pregnant woman."

"It's not ridiculous, April." He said, touching her thigh. "Maybe you just need some closure."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know…from what you've been telling me, your teenage years weren't so kind on you. But things have changed and so have you." He continued stroking her leg. In some way, it was his way of showing her some support. His teenage years were nothing like April's, so he had no clue of what it meant to be the ugly duckling of the group. Things used to be the other way around for him, since he used to be the pretty one.

He was right: things were different now. She was a grown woman; a very happily married woman; there was no reason for her to be feeling like her miserable teenage self. Shrugging her shoulders, she looked at him for the first time. "Let's just go, ok. There are other places to see here in Moline and…"

Jackson nodded his head as she spoke. There was no way he was going to leave. He wanted her to have some closure, to leave the past in the past and if that meant for him to behave like a teenager again, then so be it. "Actually, no. We're not going anywhere."

"What do you mean?"

He moved the hand placed on her thigh to her hair. He had always loved her bright red hair. "I mean, we're not leaving, because I love spending time with my girlfriend and this seems like the perfect place to do so."

"Girlfriend?" she wondered, feeling his fingers play with her soft curls. "So I'm your girlfriend now?"

"You are." He replied, moving in his seat to lean in to her face. "You're my gorgeous, sexy girlfriend."

"I like the way that sounds." April said and she meant it. She was never technically his girlfriend, since their relationship skipped a few steps. So hearing him say that she was his girlfriend made her feel really happy.

Jackson was so close to her, she could smell his cologne. She would be lying if she told that she never sprayed a little bit of it on his old college shirt, the one she used to sleep in. It made her feel closer to him somehow.

"Oh, you do!" He whispered, leaning into her ear.

When she felt his breath against her neck, April licked her lips in anticipation. It was like every inch of her body wished his lips could touch hers. And so, almost automatically, her hand met the side of his cheek, slowly turning his face to hers. She felt his hand travel from the tips of her hair, to her waist, pulling her in. Switching from her seat to his lap, she positioned herself as comfortable as she could, even though the space was so limited. Being face to face with him, her gaze kept moving from his eyes, to his lips and once again from his lips to his beautiful deep green eyes. She could lose herself in them quite easily; it was like his eyes could see right through her, knowing her whole being with just one stare. She placed her hands on his chest, his well-formed chest. He was starting to breath heavily, she could tell. It was like sparks were coming out of their bodies. She felt chills on her spine, as his hands ran through her back.

He placed his hands on her back, supporting her weight on his lap. When she tilt her head over his, their foreheads rested together. He closed his eyes to inhale the fragrance coming from her neck. It was the perfume he gave her by her birthday. One of many presents she received from him that day. If it was by his choice, he didn't mind spending all the money in the world with her. She was a queen in his eyes; she deserved to be treated like one. Feeling her tense up against him, he felt the need to release the electrifying energy that kept irradiating from their bodies. And so, he cupped her face with one hand, after moving a lock of her hair behind her ear.

She was starting to feel anxious. She needed to feel his taste. Then, as if magnets, their lips came together. Their kiss was soft, as were his lips. When they were just friend, she had always wondered how his full lips would taste like. Now, she knew: they were smooth enough to make her feel like she had just tasted a little bit of heaven. Kissing him was like being at the edge of infinity, losing track of time and space. But she didn't mind getting lost in him.

When he felt like he couldn't hold it any longer, he pulled away slightly to breath. His forehead was still touching hers. He moved his hand back to her waist, while opening his eyes. She still had hers closed. There was tension in the air and he could not hide how much he desired her anymore. He craved her mouth, her sweet flavor.

April brushed her nose against his and moved her hands from his neck to his face. She felt the roughness of his beard when she held his jawline with both hands. She knew lust was a sin, but right now she lusted him deeply. When his hand slowly entangled her hair, she didn't hesitate and quickly pressed her lips against his.

He pressed his lips against hers, moving gently against her mouth. He wanted to enjoy her taste for as long as he could. But then, he felt her lips slowly open, letting her tongue slip into his mouth. In some way, he felt like he was being transported to another universe, where only the two of them existed. Clinging her hair with his fingers, he pulled her in. He wanted to deepen their kiss as further as he could. Yes, he wanted to completely take her breath away.

She moved her hips as they kissed. Her legs were hugging his hips and she could feel his body rise against her jeans. This was a first to her; she never made out in a car. And even though it was not the most comfortable place to be, just the thought of being in a public space, where anyone could appear at any time, made her unconsciously feel butterflies on her stomach. Jackson had the ability to take her to the wild side, to make her feel brave and fearless. She always felt safe by his side, but now she started feeling a lot more adventurous too. She was not the same shy girl anymore. No, she was a completely different person and being with Jackson was part of the reason why. He had changed her in every possible way and she loved it.

When he felt her hips moving on top of him, it made his wish they were somewhere else; He loved her, she was not the type of girl you would have sex in the car with. He had always seen her as being as fragile as a porcelain doll. She deserved more than that…more than a quickie inside her old dusty pickup truck. But he couldn't help but moan and crave her. He craved being inside of her, he craved feeling the ecstasy of her body, he craved watching her as she reached her orgasm.

Never leaving his lips, she placed her hands under his shirt. There was a need for a deeper contact, she needed to feel his sweat against the palms of her hands, and she needed to run her nails through his thick skin. She was clenching tighter against his body, as if she desired they could became just one.

Once he felt her cold hands on his abdomen, his whole body shivered. It was like her touch had triggered some sort of chemical reaction from him. From the moment they first kissed, back in San Francisco, he felt captivated by her. It felt like he was charmed by her, with some sort of magical potion. She was magnetic in her own special way and he could not get enough of her.

Their moment was spoiled when April's phone started to ring. It took them a few seconds to regain their posture, since they were way into deep to even realize where they were. She eventually climbed from his lap, to his dissatisfaction, and looked for the phone inside her bag.

Staring at the caller ID, she tried to control her breath before answering. It was her mom, they needed their help to set some stand for the church fair.

"I'm so sorry, Jackson." She apologized, after hanging up the call.

"It's ok…we can go." he said, placing both hands on the wheel. He was still trying to control his body, since he could feel his hardness against his jeans.

"But hey…" she caressed his cheek with one hand. "…thank you for being so sweet. You made me feel like one of the cool kids today. I finally got the chance to make out with my boyfriend on the hottest spot in town."

Jackson smiled at her, before proceeding to give her a quick peck on the lips. "It was my pleasure."

…

"I was honestly shocked when you ran from that barn with pretty eyes and forgot to call us for two whole days."

April was sitting next to her sisters, who also came to the church fair. Actually, everyone was there and she felt really sorry for Jackson. People stared at him like he was a freak show. Maybe this was not a good idea after all. Even though her family tried to keep down what happened at her wedding, gossip spread quickly around small towns and Moline was a really small town. So by now everyone knew that she left her ex-fiancé at the altar to run away with her now husband.

"April, are you even listening to me?" Alice asked, when her sister didn't reply.

"Yes, I'm listening. Everyone was pretty shocked…I was shocked, so…" she was starting to get really tired of listening to her sisters' never ending judgment towards her. By now she had their speeches memorized and she couldn't take it any longer. "Look, I'm gonna go find Jackson. I left him playing football with the kids, so I'm just gonna go and check if he's ok."

Since they got to the small church fair, people would not get off of Jackson's back. She could tell he was trying to be as polite as he could be, but having to hug everybody and handshake their hands was making him feel very uncomfortable. So when she mentioned he used to play football back in highschool, the church kids begged for him to teach them how to throw the ball perfectly.

Now, staring at him interacting with kids made her really happy. He was a natural when it came to kids, very attentive to what they were saying or asking and never getting bored of them. She couldn't wait to see him interact with their baby. He was going to be a great father, she could tell.

When Jackson noticed her presence, he apologized to the kids and ran towards her. "Hey, babe. I thought you were with your sisters."

"I was, but you know how annoying they can be, so I decided to check on you."

"Well, I'm doing great. The kids are great, really."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have mentioned you were good at playing football."

"Eh, it's better playing with the kids, then having people staring at me."

"And I'm sorry about that too." She said, placing her arms around his neck. "You know how small town people can be. They stare at you because they're curious and because they're nosy. Besides, they all must be wondering how I got such a handsome man like you into marrying me."

"Then let them wonder." He said, kissing her lips gently.

"I shouldn't have made you come here. You must be feeling so exposed right now."

"I'm fine. I guess I'm used to it." She knew he meant he was used to it because of his family's name. Anywhere he went, people would not let pass the fact that he was an Avery. "The kids said that the fair was to collect funds. What is that all about?"

"Well, unlike you we don't have a Foundation, but the church helps lots of families in need. Like, you know, unemployed parents who have a difficult time putting food on their kids table; or like elderly people, who cannot buy their medication because they don't have the money for it. Things like that…"

"Oh, ok. Do they do this every year?"

"They do. Actually, I used to come here and help every year, before I moved to Seattle." She could tell Jackson was thinking about something. He had that familiar look on his face. "Is everything ok?"

"Hum, yeah. Everything's fine." He said, coming back from the back of his mind. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"Can you get me a lemonade, please?" she asked, biting her lower lip. "I'm really craving something fresh right now."

Jackson looked at her with a grin; he had always heard how pregnant woman craved things and this was April's first craving. "I'll be right back."

"Ok." She said, watching him leave. "Thank you."

"April Kepner?"

She heard somebody shout her name from behind her. She instantly froze. 'No, no, no, no, no…' She thought to herself. 'This cannot be happening!'

"Is it you?"

Turning her feet to face the person calling her, she wished she could've gone with Jackson. She was not ready for this. "Yes, it's me. Hello Wyatt."

"Long time, no see." He said, stepping closer to her. "Where have you been?"

"It's not like it's any of your business, but I live in Seattle now."

"Yeah, yeah…so I heard." Wyatt was a tall, blonde guy, with darker eyes. April met him when they were still in highschool, but their history together was not the best. Actually, April prayed that she didn't have to see him or any of his old friends while she was in town. When they were around, it felt like highschool all over again. "Looking good, I see."

"I've grown up, Wyatt." She said, unamused.

"And speaking about growing, it seems other parts of your body have grown. Got a boob job?"

When she noticed he was speaking about her fuller cleavage, she quickly adjusted her shirt. He was still the same idiot as ever. "I'm pregnant, actually. I guess that's what happens when you get pregnant. Your body changes and, you know what…nevermind."

"Oh right." He said, cutting her off. "I heard you got married. Still don't know how that happened, considering you've always been an ugly duckling. And looking at that rock in your finger, he must be a really good catch. Is he rich or something?"

April stared down at her hand, before closing her arms against her chest. He was starting to make her feel very uncomfortable. "Look, I've got to go. See you later, Wyatt."

Turning her back to him, she started to make her way to the lemonade stand. "Bye, Duckie!"

.

Jackson had a lemonade cup on his hand, when he noticed from a distance that April was talking to some guy. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but seeing how quickly his wife left made him wonder what happened. Now, meeting her halfway, he could tell something was wrong. "Hey, babe…I was just about to go back. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, when she approached him. "Can we please go home?"

He looked at her and placed one hand on her shoulder. Her body was tense, her expression was totally different from what it was a few minutes ago and he could tell her eyes were starting to tear up. "We can, but did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened." she tried to reassure him. "Let's just go home, please."

.

When they reached the parking lot, they got into the old pickup truck. But Jackson refused to start on the engine before she told him what happened. "I know something is wrong. You can't lie to me, April. I know you too well."

"I'm fine." She said, resting her head against the seat. Why was he being so stubborn? She just wanted to leave.

"Was it the guy you were talking with?" When she didn't reply, Jackson knew for sure it was something that guy did. "Who is he?"

"He's nobody. Really, let's just go home."

"April, I love you and I'm not going to leave until you tell what happened. One minute, you're ok, you're happy. The other, you come to me with a frown on your face and I know that something happened. Now tell me."

"Fine!" She almost shouted. "I'll tell you. His name's Wyatt. Wyatt Carson. We met in highschool. I was fifteen and a freshman in highschool when I met him. I was an awkward, shy girl as you know. I didn't have many friends and I had braces and pimples…it was not a pretty image." She took a quick look at him, before turning her eyes to another place. She was so embarrassed to be telling him this things from her past. "One day, I was by my locker, when Wyatt came talking to me. He was one of the most popular guys at school; he was a quarterback in the football team and a senior. And I had this massive crush on him… it was ridiculous. But then he started talking to me every day and I just…I fell head over heels in love with him."

"Right."

"Then one day he asked me to go with him to the dance. It was a big deal, I mean…he was the boy I thought I loved and I really thought he liked me back. I was so stupid."

"What happened?"

"I was ready. I even bought a dress and everything. When the time came for him to pick me up, he called telling me to go meet him at school, which I did. When I got there, he decided to humiliate me in front of everybody. Well, he and his friends. Turns out he never liked me, they were just playing a prank on me." If she could, she would put her head inside a hole and disappear from the face of the earth. It was hard reliving the past, but it was even harder telling Jackson all those things without feeling embarrassed. "My sister, Libby, read my diary. She found out I had a major crush on him and then she eventually told a friend, who told a friend, who told Wyatt. Being fifteen and having the guy with whom you've got a crush on talking to you…I felt like I was walking on a cloud, like I was living a dream. Things got worse when he found out my sisters called me Duckie, because he started calling me Duckie too and…" She looked at Jackson and nodded her head. "But this was my fault. I was so naïve."

"April, this was not your fault. This was his fault; he's a douchebag. What did he say to you today?"

"Nothing." She replied, taking a deep breath. "Let it go, Jackson. Really. I'm fine. Let's just go home and…"

But he didn't let her finish her sentence. Instead, he opened the door of the car and stepped out. He always felt protective of April; she was his best friend and because of her unique personality, people tended to make fun of her. He didn't like it one bit.

"Where are you going, Jackson?" she said, stepping out of the car as well.

"I'm gonna punch him in the face. I swear to…"

"Jackson…Jackson, stop!" she grabbed his hand firmly. "Calm down. You're not going to punch anybody's face, ok? Look at me..."

"He doesn't get to hurt you and walk away with it."

"Jackson, it's ok. It really is." She placed one hand on his face, making him look at her. "Besides, it's been like fifteen years since that happened. It's not important anymore."

"If it's not important, then why do you still get so upset with it?" he asked.

"I'm not upset…I'm not." She could tell he was really pissed. She loved how protective he was of her, but now was not the time nor the place to start a fight. "Look, I got my heart broken when I was fifteen, but it was actually a good thing, because I realized there were more important things than dating the boy on the football team; there were more important things than being popular…it helped me turn into the person that I am today. I realized I had bigger dreams for my life."

"April…"

"No, I mean it. After that incident, I didn't have much of a social life, so I stayed home studying. Then, I figured out how I wanted to be a doctor, how I wanted to change the world for better. My parents couldn't afford to pay for college, let alone med school, so…I studied very, very hard and I eventually got a scholarship. If it wasn't for the boy who crushed my heart when I was fifteen, none of that would have happened. It was actually a blessing, if we see things from a different perspective."

Jackson was listening to her, feeling his heart crumble. How could anyone be so mean to the point of hurting such a sweet person like his wife? It didn't matter that it happened fifteen years ago. He knew how things like that never really went away.

Then, he looked at his side. With the corner of his eyes, he spotted the guy. He was heading towards his car in the parking lot. Without even thinking properly, he took a few steps back from April before shouting. "HEY! HEY, YOU."

When April saw what he was doing, she followed him, shouting his name as well, trying to persuade him. "Jackson…Jackson, get back in here. Jackson…"

It was too late, he was already too close to Wyatt. "Yes, you…you're Wyatt Carson, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. Why?" Wyatt asked, stepping closer to Jackson.

"Douchebag…"

April caught his arm in the air, as he was about to throw a punch on Wyatt. She almost took a stumble, but was able to get some balance.

"Who is this guy?"

"Jackson, I told you to stop. There's no need to make a scene. I said I was over it, I'm over it." She said, totally ignoring Wyatt.

"Is this your husband, Duckie?"

She didn't want to make a scene, especially when they were so close to people from church. However, hearing Wyatt calling her Duckie one more time, triggered every nerve on her body. She was over it, she was fed up with it. And so, in an impulse, she punched Wyatt right in the face. "This is for being such a douche!"

He took a stumble, but remained on his feet. But April wasn't done just yet. "And this one's…" she said, taking another swing on him. "…for breaking my heart when I was fifteen."

"And finally this…" she said, gaining some balance to throw one last punch. "…is for calling me Duckie. You used to make fun of me all the time, but hey…look at me now…I grew up, I'm no longer your ugly duckling. Plus I'm an amazing kick-ass trauma surgeon. I'm married to my best friend, who's a very handsome man and treats me like a princess every day. So thank you, Wyatt, for being such an asshole. Otherwise, I would still not be able to see how lucky I am for not having you in my life. Honestly, you turned out to be the best thing I never had."

Jackson didn't know what to say or do. He was still completely astonished by how strong his wife could be when someone pushed her buttons. But now, seeing how his pregnant wife left a guy with a bleeding nose, made him realize that she was the kind of woman who, after all, didn't need protection from anybody. She was strong enough to protect herself and he couldn't be more proud of her for that.

"Now let's go, honey. I've got better things to do than wasting my time with an idiot like him." She remarked, before returning to the car.

…

_Let the light, from the lighthouse, Let it shine on me  
I wonder, I wonder, if the light  
from the lighthouse, would shine  
would shine on me_

_Here is my thought, This is my plea  
Lord let your holy light  
Shine on me  
I wonder will you hear my prayer  
I know I'm not worthy  
But I need your help  
Lord shine your light  
Shine it this way  
Shine it so I can see which way to take  
My faith is in you  
to bring me through…_

It was Sunday morning and Jackson had agreed on going to church with April.

Now, while the church community worshiped their God, he caught his wife with her eyes closed as she sang along. She looked peaceful, almost like in a trance. He never understood how faith worked, since he didn't have faith in a God. But looking at his wife like that, made him wonder what she was feeling. He had heard her pray in the past, but watching her put her mind and soul into the song was a totally different experience. It was like her body was there, but her mind was somewhere else…in a very distant place.

Holding her hand, listening to the choirs, he felt like he could do it. He could go to church with her. After all, it was just a small effort on his part that could help strengthen their relationship. Besides, he was sure she was going to bring their kids to church and he didn't want to miss family times like that. If it was important her going to church, then it was important to him, because she was the most important thing in his life.

.

When the service ended, April insisted on introducing the pastor to Jackson. He was actually glad she did, because he had something to give him.

"Jackson, this is Pastor Glenn."

"Hi…" he said, offering his hand to a handshake.

"Well, hello. I'm so glad to be finally meeting April's husband."

"Yeah, that's me."

"I heard you two were at the fair yesterday, but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see you."

"Yeah, we were there, but we had to leave earlier." April apologized.

"About that..." Jackson said, reaching for his wallet. "There's something I want you to have." April looked at him with a curious look. He hadn't told her what he was planning on doing. "My wife told me how the church collects funds to help people struggling with money and so I've decided to make a donation."

The pastor held the check in his hands, completely speechless after looking at the number written in it.

"Jackson…" she said, surprised as well. "I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

"Thank you so much. You don't know how helpful this money is going to be. Thank you so, so much. This is going to help lots of families in need, I assure you."

"You're welcome. This is the least I could do…really."

After chatting for a while, Pastor Glenn excused himself to keep the check in a safer place. April kissed her husband's cheek, before leaving to help Pastor Glenn with it.

Then, Jackson felt a soft tap on his shoulder. "Thank you, Jackson. That was a beautiful gesture." It was April's father.

He scratched the back of his head, still feeling a little nervous around him. "That was nothing, really."

"Crazy how a small gesture can help so many people. Giving away that money might not have a significant effect on your life, but it will sure benefit lots of people."

"Yeah, you're right." Jackson agreed. He knew how fortunate he was for not having to worry about money at all. It was a blessing that many people didn't have.

They were in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, but then Jackson saw April coming back from the back office, only to stop and chat with some other women. Looking at her, he could see how much she was glowing. She looked beautiful and the fact that she was carrying his child, made him think about her and how gorgeous she looked in a more special way. She was carrying his baby, their baby. And the truth was a miracle was being formed inside her body.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my April." His thoughts were interrupted when Joe spoke again. "She told me how you've always been there for her, you know."

"Yeah, she has always been one of my closest friends. My best friend, actually."

"I'm not going to lie. When I saw her running away with you on the day of her wedding, I was really angry. I couldn't understand how someone would agree into marrying a guy, being in love with the other. April was not raised like that, she was never rebellious, and she was never a bad daughter…" He continued. "So, when she ran away with you and got married the day after without anyone knowing, I was completely surprised and shocked. I didn't understand, but I do now."

Jackson didn't know what to say, since he didn't really know what was happening. Was Joe Kepner giving them his blessing?

"I guess it would have been a mistake if she married Matthew. He was a very nice guy, you know, but he wasn't the one. You are the one. April loves you and I can tell how much you love her too only by the way you stare at her."

"I really do, sir."

"Good. Then, keep taking good care of my April. She's a very special girl." He said, smiling at Jackson, before leaving. "And I hope you can take good care of my grand-child as well."

"I will, sir. I definitely will." He promised.

April approached him with a big smile on her face. She immediately held her arms around Jackson's waist, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I didn't know you were planning on making such a huge donation." She said. "I'm so thankful, Jackson. I really am."

"I'm just glad I could help."

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Go where?"

She leaned into him once again to kiss his lips. "To the best waffle house in Moline." She said, resting her forehead on his. "Remember? Waffles after church. I'm a girl who keeps her promises."

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

I'm sorry for the long chapter, but hopefully you enjoyed it. It was inspired in part by Beyoncé's song "the best thing I never had".

I tried to focus the story on April's insecurities and awkward teenage years, so I'm sorry if you were expecting something else.

Anyways, let me know what you think by reviewing. Again, thank you so so so much for all your wonderful reviews. They really inspire me.

In this chapter there was no smut, but I swear more is about to come. Sometimes a little tease is as sexy as actual explicit sex.

Note that English is not my first language, so any mistakes you might find, let me know. Your help is always welcome.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter and keep enjoying reading the rest of the story.

As you know I'll update soon.

Thank you again.

Much love, Annie.


	6. finding out

"And as you can see, here is the head…" The obstetrician pointed out at the screen with her free hand.

"We can see the nose. It's so cute." April stated. She was thrilled to see her baby. And now that the baby was no longer a little blueberry or something else, she could not help but to feel nervous butterflies on her stomach every time she thought she was carrying a human being inside her body. "I think it kind of looks like you."

"The chin is definitely yours." Her husband said, without taking his eyes way from the monitor.

The OB/GYN continued to move her hand, making her way down to the bottom of April's growing bump. "Ok, everything looks great, the baby's well positioned and since you're sixteen weeks pregnant we can find out the sex. Do you want to know if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"Yes!"

"No!"

They both replied at the same time. April looked up at Jackson with a frown on her face. "I don't want to know the sex of the baby."

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

"Well, because I want it to be a surprise." She could tell by the look on his face that he was not on the same page as her. "I want it to be a surprise. I think it will be more special this way, you know, to find out the sex when I give birth to our baby."

"But April…that doesn't make any sense."

"Well, it does to me. I was talking to my mom about this the other day and she said when she was pregnant, she decided she didn't want to find out the sex, because it made the delivery even more special. Think about it…It will be the moment we finally know what God blessed us with."

"But…"

"Mom said she decided not knowing the sex, because it was a surprise every time! Of course technology was different back then, but she never made an effort to find out. And besides by the time she got pregnant with Kimmie, my dad already knew it was a girl. He lost all hopes of having a boy, but…" She noticed how she was starting to ramble, so she took his hand on hers. "Jackson…"

"April…I just don't see the point. The sooner we find out what we're having, the easier it will be to start planning things." He tried to persuade her.

"I don't want to find out the sex. There's no need for it from a medical point of view. And besides, it will prevent people from stereotyping our baby."

"How so?" he asked, disagreeing with her completely.

"Well, imagine we have a baby shower. If we're having a boy, people will give us blue things; if it's a girl, then here comes pink. I don't want that, Jackson." She looked at the OB doctor and simply said. "No, we don't want to find out the sex of the baby."

"Are you sure? I've got a great view here."

"Hold on a second!" Jackson replied, holding a finger up. "I do want to find out what we're having."

"Jackson…"

"No, let me finish." He continued. "Maybe you can tell me what we're having privately. This way we please both parts."

"But that way you'll know and you'll tell people and buy things that will reveal the sex of the baby and eventually I'll find out. That's exactly what I don't want…I don't want to know."

"Honey…" Jackson whispered leaning down, before kissing her forehead. "…I promise I won't tell, ok?"

She was not totally pleased with this solution, since she wanted it to be a surprise for the both of them during labor. However, she was not the only parent here. He was too and it was his right to know. "Fine! But you're not allowed to say anything, ok?"

Jackson smiled, before bending down to kiss her lips. Then, he turned to the OB and told her he was ready to know. The OB simply wrote it down on a piece of paper.

…

"Don't you dare read what's in that paper in front of me!" April said, walking next to her husband through one of the hospital corridors, after leaving the appointment. "And when you do, don't you even dare tell anybody the sex of your baby. Not even your mom."

"I promised I wouldn't tell, I won't tell!"

"I'm serious about this, Jackson. I don't want to find out."

"Don't worry. I won't say anything." He said, holding tightly the thin piece of paper in his hand, dying to know the gender of their baby.

"Do you have any surgeries right now?" she asked, changing the subject.

"No, I'm actually heading back to my office. I've got to make a few phone calls before the board meeting later."

"Oh, ok." She said, stopping when they reached the elevator. "Well, I'm gonna go now. See you later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later." He replied, planting a kiss on her forehead.

When April entered the elevator, Jackson was finally able to kill his curiosity. So, he quickly opened the small piece of paper folded in his hands.

Now, staring at the paper, it took him a few seconds to let the news sink in. He was going to be father, it was real now. He was going to be a dad.

…

Later that day, April met Jackson for lunch.

"So, I've been looking online for furniture and I think we really need to start planning for the nursery. I mean…I read in a few forums that the sooner you plan for everything, the less stress you're going to have by the end of your pregnancy, which is a good thing, since the last months are really the most stressful one's…at least from what I've read online."

"You should stay away from those forums, April. People are crazy, they can say anything they want on the internet." She had spent the past thirty minutes talking about babies and what babies needed and what she read online. Jackson kept trying to listen to her, but by now he was starting to get really annoyed.

"Yeah, I know, but I can't help it. I want to be informed. Besides, people in these forums are new moms, so they know what they're talking about." She said, continuing touching the tablet in her hands. "Anyways, back to the furniture. I found a really nice store that sells these amazing cribs and everything, I think we should definitely check it out. I still don't know what color scheme I want to use for our baby's nursery, but since we decided not to know the sex, or at least I did, then we can stay with the neutrals, you know, yellow, orange…maybe all white, but that's boring."

It was not like he wasn't into baby talk; he was just not into that today. He was not in the mood and right now he just wanted to eat his lunch in peace before heading back to his office to prepare for the board meeting. The day was not going well at all and the fact that his wife kept bugging him with this sort of conversation was making it even worse.

"I still don't know how we're going to work out the space in the apartment, since we don't have many and your sneakers take almost most of it." She continued, not once touching her food. She seemed way more interested on scrolling down through an infinity of baby forum pages on her tablet.

"Hey, leave my shoes out of it!" He defended himself. He knew their apartment was small and that they needed more space, but his shoes were his shoes. Somehow he treated them like it was an art collection.

"As if that's possible. How can one man have so many pairs of sneakers? You have a serious sneaker obsession, Jackson. I think you're gonna have to deal with that fact sooner or later. Besides, we'll need the space your shoes take to keep the baby's stuff." She said, completely ignoring his eye rolling. "Oh, talking about baby stuff…we need to go shopping for bottles, pacifiers, diapers, breast pumps, everything…I made a list of all the things we need."

"So soon?"

"I know it's still early, but we need to be prepared and I want to buy everything as soon as possible to make sure we have all the things we need when the baby arrives."

"Of course you want." He said, with a little bit of sarcasm on his voice.

"I also read online on…"

"On a forum, yes!" he completed her thought, unamused.

"Yes…well I read a story about a woman who decided to give birth on a pool. It's called a water birth and it supposedly is a way to give birth in a more relaxed, painless way."

"Yeah, I don't think I like that idea."

"But I mean, there are so many different ways to give birth nowadays, we need to go through every option. I mean…do I want a natural birth or do I want to take drugs? We really need to start thinking about things like that."

"Do we?" He asked. What was there to talk about? And why did she kept taking ideas from these crazy forums, where complete strangers would throw their opinions like they were some kind of scientific studies? "Can't our kid just be born the old fashioned way?"

"We also need to start looking for information over Lamaze classes and where to take them." She didn't even listen to what he said. She was already in a whole different topic, leaving Jackson behind. He felt like she was asking for his opinion, without really be asking for it. "I read online they're very important during labor. They help increase confidence, they help you deal with pain and how to focus on breathing and…"

"April, calm down." He finally snapped at her, throwing his fork violently against his plate. "It's like you choking me with information."

"I'm what?" She asked, surprised by his sudden reaction.

"Yes, I feel like you're choking me"

"What?" She inquired again. Nodding her head, she put down the tablet. "So now I'm choking you?"

"Yes, yes you are." He replied, aggressively. "Have you been listening to yourself? You want me to buy things, learn things…to care about things that aren't even important right now."

"Things that aren't important?"

"What's the point on buying diapers right now?" He asked, pushing the plate in front of him to the side. "You're four months pregnant…it's not like you're going to need them right away."

"I'm just trying to be… organized...I…" She stammered in her own words.

"One thing is being organized, the other is being a complete control freak…"

She looked at him completely astonished by his sudden behavior. "Oh, ok. You know what, Jackson, forget about it."

"April…" He could see the hurt in her eyes when she stood up from the table to leave. It all happened so quickly, he didn't even know how things escalated so fast. Yes, he was getting annoyed, but he didn't mean to offend her. The words just flew from his mouth before he could even think about them.

"No, you're right…I'm a control freak…I'm a freak." She said, making her way out of the cafeteria.

"April…" There was no use. She was already gone and he felt like they both needed some time to breathe.

…

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, a few hours later, finding her leaning against the nurses' station.

"I'm kind of busy right now." She replied, without taking her eyes from the chart she was filling.

"April, you're overreacting."

"Am I?" She said, putting down the pen she was writing with aggressively. "Really?"

"You are. You're overreacting like you always do…"

"You said I was choking you. Well, I'm sorry if I'm choking you about our baby…our baby's needs."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Then what did you mean?" She almost yelled at him. "Look, Jackson, I don't understand…I thought you were excited about this, about my pregnancy. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but…"

"You're not bothering me. You're just rushing things when there's no need for things to be rushed."

"You said there were more important things to deal with other than…"

"Because there are."

"Oh really? What's more important than our baby?" He shook his head, without wanting to go there. He didn't want to fight. "No, tell me, Jackson."

He could see how angry she was at him, but his head was still buzzing from the long time he spent on the phone and he was not in the mood to deal with her tantrum. "Damn it, April, you're acting like a crazy person…"

"Great…so I'm a freak and a crazy person. Great, Jackson." She said sarcastically, throwing her hands in the air. They were actually having a fight, again, over nothing. It was his fault and she didn't understand all his sudden aggression towards her. She was just talking about her baby, their baby and he completely snapped. He never had a reaction like this before about their baby. And now he was offending her, which was worse. She was completely clueless.

"Hey Avery…" Alex's voice came from behind them. "I need to talk to you about…"

"Not right now, Karev." Jackson replied, holding his hand in the air to stop him.

"It's about the board. I know you're having a meeting right now and…"

"I said not right now!" Jackson shouted at him, making everyone at the pit stare."

"Fine, man…there's no need for yelling." Alex said, stepping back. He was obviously not in the right place at the right time.

"Dr. Kepner…" a nurse came running towards her. "There's incoming trauma arriving in five minutes."

April looked at Jackson and nodded her head. "I've gotta go."

"April…" He said, reaching for her hand.

"I've got to go" She quickly dropped it "Let me go."

…

It was a little past 10 PM when Jackson finally left the hospital. He decided to stop at Joe's before heading home. He wasn't sure how April was doing, since he didn't see her for the rest of the day, but he could only be expecting the worse. He wasn't even sure how their fight started or what he said to start it, but all of a sudden all hell breaks loose and in the back of his mind, he knows it was his fault.

But after the OB appointment that morning something triggered inside of him. Something he could not describe. Yes, he felt suffocated; yes, he felt like things were finally getting real. Somehow knowing the gender of his baby made things feel more real than ever. He was going to be father, he was going to have someone who depended exclusively on him and for the first time all his doubts came to the surface.

He said April was choking him, but he was sure she wasn't the one to blame. Actually, she was only doing what any expectant woman would do; she was just excited and he screwed it up once again. She should be home by now and the fact that she hasn't texted him yet asking him if he was going to be late, was a sign that things were not great.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder he was pulled away from his thoughts. "Hey man!"

"Hey, Karev." He said, wishing he could just be left alone. He wasn't in the mood for talking and he was definitely not feeling the need for company right now.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked, sitting next to him. "Haven't seen you here in while."

"Yeah, I know. I haven't come here in a while." He replied. "I usually go home from work, with my wife."

Alex ordered himself a beer, before stating the obvious. "You had a fight with Kepner, didn't you?"

Jackson didn't reply. Instead he simply took another sip of his drink.

"It was pretty obvious you two were having a fight earlier. What was that all about?"

"Nothing." He replied. He was not going to discuss with Karev his feelings, nor their argument. This was something he and April had to work out on their own. Besides, if he told Karev, he was probably going to tell his girlfriend about their fight and there was no need for more gossip around the hospital with them involved.

"Someone's not in a good mood today." He stated. "It's ok. Kepner has a difficult temper. I still don't know how you married her…she can be so annoying sometimes."

"Don't say that about my wife. She's not annoying." He defended her. He hated how people didn't understand her personality, how they would judge her character. "I married her because I love her. So stop being such a douche when it comes to April. She's an amazing person."

"Then why are you so upset?"

"Look, Karev, I had a really bad day today. I'm not in the mood to talk about that, ok? Can you just leave me alone?"

"Fine." He agreed, understanding he took it a little too far with his commentaries.

The two man stood in silence for a few minutes, until a bunch of young interns came bursting in the door, making some loud noise. Jackson looked at them from the corner of his eyes. It was a small group of two boys and two girls. They were obviously flirting with each other.

Alex took a glance at the group as well, before turning to his colleague. "And to think one day we were just like them."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, one day we were interns looking for an easy fix too. Look at them, they're couldn't be more obvious. They're dying to get into their pants."

Jackson looked at them again, feeling an inexplicable anger grown inside of him. He knew he used to be just like those two young men. Thinking about it, he started feeling a deep disgust over his body. He spent years and years hooking up with random women, having sex in the most unplanned places. Now, looking back at his old behavior, he wished things would have been different.

"Men that age only want one thing and that's sex!" He heard Alex continue.

"I think that's disgusting."

"And you're gonna tell me when you were their age you didn't have sex on your mind 24/7?" he asked, making a point. "Are you gonna tell you didn't hook up with chicks for your own personal pleasure?"

"I did and I regret it." He confessed. "I mean, look at them. Those girls are somebody's daughters. They're probably thinking those idiots want a real thing with them, when in the end…they're going to do it and not even call the next day. Or maybe they'll do it, but use them only for sex."

"Why are you so upset? Wasn't the thing between you and Kepner just sex in the beginning?"

Jackson looked at him, then back at his beer. "It wasn't just sex. April and I…we had a connection for a very long time before…our thing." He nervously started scratching the beer's label in an unconscious way.

"Right, but it was just sex in the beginning." Alex remarked, trying to get a reaction out of Jackson.

"I don't really want to talk about it. You would never understand." Maybe Karev was right; maybe it was just sex in the beginning. But how could it be just sex when he already had feelings for her? Of course he wasn't in love with April when they first hooked up, but he loved her in some way. He loved as a friend. He even felt a slight attraction towards her. He regretted the way he treated her in the past, how he dealt with their relationship back then. Now, he would've managed things a lot differently.

"Anyways, good for them. Sex is a great way to release stress and them, being interns and all, must be overstressed. It's a good things they're hooking up."

"When I have a boy, I'm gonna teach him how to treat girls the right way. I'm talking from experience when I say boys can be complete assholes. I was douchebag for some girls in the past." He could sense Alex's surprised eyes on him. "I realize how stupid I was now. How dumb my actions were. Some girls deserved better. I mean, I even screwed up with April in the beginning."

"Relax, man. Boys will be boys. It's in their nature to want sex and…"

"It's not in their nature. It's in the way we raise them. We keep making excuses for boys and their behaviors towards girls by saying 'boys will be boys', but we shouldn't. I can see it clearly now that I'm about to become a parent. Those girls…" He said, pointing with one finger at the group. "…are somebody's daughters. Not only that, they're human beings. They should not be used and discarded, like a used condom. So, when I have a boy, I'm going to teach him to be a gentleman, to know that sex is important, but not the most important thing. I didn't have a father who could teach me those things so…"

"And what are you going to teach your daughter when you have one?" Alex asked, completely intrigued by his sudden range. "Are you gonna teach her to keep her legs closed?"

Jackson froze for a few seconds, feeling like he had just been hit by a bus. A daughter? What was he supposed to teach her? He suddenly felt his mouth dry and his head in a completely blank. He didn't know what to say.

Luckily Jo appeared in that moment, interrupting their conversation. Jackson quickly excused himself and left.

…

When he got home, the place was quiet and all the lights were turned off. He looked for April, only to find her already lying in bed, apparently sleeping. It had been a long day and even though he needed to talk to her, he decided it was for the best to let her sleep.

…

**AN:**

Hello guys,

So what did you think of this chapter? Why do you think Jackson had such a strong reaction?

Review and let me know your opinions (not only about this chapter, but about the whole story too).

Anyways, thank you for all your support and reviews. They mean a lot to me.

English is not my first language, so any mistakes you might find, let me know. Your help is very welcome.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Keep reading. I'll update soon.

Love,

Annie.


	7. rainbow

Jackson slowly woke up the next morning. Unconsciously, he turned his body around, reaching for April. However, he realized he was alone in bed. She was gone. Suddenly all the memories of their fight yesterday filled his mind.

He decided to get up, to see is she was home. It was 6.30 AM. Normally, she didn't go to work that early.

He found her in the kitchen, putting her jacket on, ready to leave.

"Good-morning." He said, making her turn around.

"Oh, hey." She replied, awkwardly.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got to go to work earlier today."

She was lying. He knew her schedules. "Oh, ok…"

"Ok. See you later." She said, quickly making her way to the door without looking back.

…

By lunch time, Jackson still hadn't seen April. She must had been in surgery all morning, because she wasn't in the pit when he looked for her.

He was sitting with Meredith and Alex in the cafeteria, not even hungry. His mind was somewhere else.

"Hey, guys." He heard April's voice, when she approached the group with a tupperware container in her hands. "What do you think about the name Elijah?"

Jackson saw her seat in the chair opposite to him, but chose not to reply.

"Why do you ask?" Meredith wondered, noticing how the pair didn't greet each other.

"Well, it's because I'm starting to think about baby names and I just met the cutest four year old boy in the elevator. He was visiting his grandmother, who just had knee surgery, and he was so adorable. His name's Elijah, so…"

"Elijah's ok." Meredith stated. "But why are you discussing baby names with us? Shouldn't you be doing that with your husband?"

April stared at her food, not daring to look at Jackson. And she was definitely not giving their fight away. She didn't want to be the source of gossip. Instead, she decided to keep going. "And what about Noah?" Both Alex and Meredith frowned their noses. "No?"

"Hey!" It was Arizona, with her usual bright smile. She took a sit next to April. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Kepner won't shut up about baby names." Alex replied, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Uh, I love baby talk!" Arizona said, enthusiastically, turning to April. "Wait, how far along are you?"

"I'm sixteen weeks."

"Oh, do you know the sex of the baby?"

Jackson, who had been looking down at his food since April arrived, lifted his eyes to her. Their stares met for a second, before the two of them quickly looked away. "Hum, no." She answered. "No, we don't."

"Oh, ok. Well what names do you like?"

"I like Stella for a girl." April retorted, playing her food with the fork, uncomfortably. Somehow, looking at Jackson made her feel both angry and sad. She didn't understand his reaction yesterday. And last night, when he got home, she pretended to be asleep to prevent him from finding out she had been crying.

"I met a girl named Stella in college." Meredith said. "She was a complete lunatic."

"You guys are trying to make this even harder, aren't you?" April rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea after all, since they had turned down every name so far. "Ok, how about Delilah?"

"How do you even find these names?" Meredith remarked again, taking a sip from her drink.

"Delilah's a biblical names." April defended her choice, taking a quick look at her husband from the corner of her eyes. Why wasn't he participating in the conversation? He still hadn't said a word since she got there.

"I kind of like Delilah." Arizona stated, joyfully.

"Wait, isn't she the whore in the bible?" April was still looking at Jackson when Alex's voice made her stare at him instead.

"No!" She said, annoyed at how offensive he could be when he wanted to. "She's the one who lived a love story with Samson. Well, until she sold him out to the Philistines, but… that's not the point. And for your information, you're confusing Delilah with Mary Magdalene. People often say she was a prostitute. She might have been a sinner, but please don't call her whore."

"Eh, whatever." Alex murmured, not caring at all.

"Wait, what's the name you told me the other day?" Arizona asked, with her mouth half full of food.

"Hum…what?" April inquired, thinking about their past conversations. "Rainbow?"

"Yeah, that one. Rainbow is cute!"

"Rainbow's not cute." Jackson mumbled, still not looking up.

"I'm sorry, what?" April asked, unsure of what came out of his mouth.

"I said Rainbow's not cute." He said louder this time.

"Oh, so now you think it's important to discuss our baby's name. Don't you have more important things to do?" She stated, remembering what he told her yesterday about having more important things to do.

"Don't start, April." He said, nodding his head. He didn't want to fight anymore. He wanted to talk to her, but she kept avoiding him.

"I'm not starting anything. You're the one who's been all grumpy about this kind of conversation lately."

"I've not been grumpy…"

"You know what?" She cut him off, obviously pissed at him. "I like Rainbow. It's cute, feminine and totally adorable."

"Rainbow is not up for consideration." He stood his ground.

"Well, I like it." She said, standing up from the table. It wasn't true. She did not like the name Rainbow, nor was she considering it. She was just angry at him. "It's my child, I'm carrying it for nine months, it gets the name I choose and I definitely choose Rainbow."

She turned around to leave, but Jackson shouted out loud "There's no way I'm calling my child Rainbow." He could tell everyone had a strange look on their faces. April had just snapped at him. But he tried to dismiss their looks, turning to Alex "Is Rainbow even a name?"

Alex looked at him and shrugged his shoulders "I don't know!" He replied, with his mouth full.

"But hey… you've got to admit, Rainbow Avery sounds pretty cool!" Meredith teased, standing up to leave as well. "Very dignifying."

"Or you can always consider Thunder if it's a boy." Alex joked too, with a roguish smile on his face. "Rainbow and Thunder Avery."

"I'm sure the great Avery family's going to love it." Arizona retorted, to his despair.

…

When Jackson got home, later that day, he found April sitting outside, on the balcony. Slowly he approached her. He didn't want to fight anymore. He just wanted to explain himself to her.

"Hey." He said, leaning against the door frame.

"Hi. You're home." She stated, looking at him. Her eyes were red, he could tell she had been crying.

"Yeah, I left work earlier today. I couldn't think straight, so I rescheduled my last surgery and headed home."

"Oh, ok."

They fell into an awkward silence for a few minutes, before he spoke again. "It's getting a bit chilly out here."

"I know." she replied, closing her arms against her chest. "I just needed to get some fresh air."

He didn't dare to move, afraid he might trigger another fight. He was tired of fighting.

"I just don't understand, Jackson." She said. He could hear a tone of hopelessness in her voice. "I know I can be a little over the top sometimes, but you were never like this with me before…I mean, you never minded listening to me while I'm talking about our baby."

"I know." he acknowledged, lowering his eyes to the ground, almost in shame.

"Did I do anything wrong?"

"No…" he quickly said, moving to seat next to her on the other chair. "…you didn't do anything wrong."

"Then what happened? You were fine after the OB/GYN appointment."

"I know…I just." He took a deep breath and looked down again. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"Did you really feel like I was choking you?"

"No…I mean, it wasn't your fault. It was my fault. I…"

"Talk to me, Jackson. What is it?"

He looked at her, feeling as small as he could feel. He usually didn't like to share his emotions, afraid that it could somehow be a sign of weakness, but she was his wife. She knew him better than anyone and he couldn't hide anything from her. "The truth is…I'm scared."

She looked at him surprised at his confession. "You're scared?"

"I am." He continued, a little embarrassed. "Actually, I'm terrified. I mean, we're going to have a baby. I'm going to be a father. And yesterday, we could really see our baby for the first time. We could our baby's face, hands, and little fingers. Our baby is a complete person now… a tiny human being." He took a quick look at her, to see her reaction. Her mouth was wide open and couldn't tell if she was angry at him or not for feeling this way. "It all happened too sudden and soon, I mean…one day we're getting married, the other you're telling me you're pregnant and I don't even know if I'm ready to be a father. I'm not saying I don't want to be one, I'm just saying that I'm scared I'm not prepared to be one."

April moved in her seat to be closer to him. "Jackson, no one is born knowing things. We learn them and I'm sure you'll learn how to be a great dad. I'm gonna have to learn how to be a mom too."

"I know, but…I didn't have a present father. I don't have much of a father figure. My mom, she did her best, but she was always busy with work. She was practically a single mom and between the nannies and boarding school, I didn't have a normal childhood, you know, a normal family." He confessed, feeling too embarrassed to even look at her. "How am I supposed to be a great dad when I didn't even have one?"

She felt her heart melt, understanding now his sudden behavior. "You're already an amazing person, an amazing husband…I know you'll be an amazing dad too."

"I'm not so sure. Our baby is going to depend on us for everything. This is a responsibility we're going to have for the rest of our lives and I'm happy about it…I am. I'm just scared." He said, letting all his doubts coming to the surface. "I'm sorry for snapping at you yesterday, April. But after the OB/GYN appointment, I just freaked out. It all seemed too real. Then you started talking about diapers and bottles and labor and things became really, really real. What if I'm not prepared to be a dad?"

She got up from her chair and kneeled by his feet, placing a hand on his chin to make him look at her. "Hey, Jackson…look at me." He lifted his head slowly. "Remember when we had our first pregnancy scare? We weren't even really dating and you… "

"That was different. I was just trying to calm you down and besides, you weren't even pregnant, so…"

"But you didn't know that." She said, quickly. "Remember what you told me? You told me we could do it. That we would be amazing parents. And we are going to do it, Jackson. We can do it. We'll have challenges… everyday, but we can do it."

"The thing is…" he continued, after taking a deep breath. "…I thought that maybe, if we were having a boy, things would be different, you know, easier. We could relate on a different level, but then the OB told me we're having a girl and I freaked out completely. I'm scared, because I want to be the best dad to our little girl. I'm scared, because I don't know how I'm going to do it or even if I'm prepared to do it."

April stared at him without saying anything. Then, she placed both her hands on her mouth, covering it. "Oh my gosh…Oh my gosh." She repeated again, this time standing up, taking a few steps back. "Oh my gosh."

"April?" He could see she had tears in her eyes. Then it hit him. He just revealed the gender of their baby.

"We're having a girl?" she asked, slowly placing her hands on her little bump.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized, almost jumping from his seat. "I know how you didn't want to find out. I'm so sorry, honey. I didn't mean to tell you, I just…it slipped out of my mouth and…"

"So we're having a little girl?" She asked again, with a fragile voice.

He simply nodded his head. "I'm sorry…you have all reasons to be mad at me. I'm so sorry."

"I'm not mad at you, Jackson. How could I be?" April nodded her head, closed the space between them and took his hands. "I didn't want to know, but I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?" he wondered, placing his hands on her waist.

"No. Actually, I had a feeling it was going to be a girl. I just felt it in my heart it was a girl." She confessed, thrilled about her discovery. She didn't want to find out, but now that she knew, she couldn't help but to feel a tremendous joy in her heart. "I'm so happy."

"I'm happy too." He said, kissing her forehead, feeling calmer now.

"We're gonna have a little girl!" She was ecstatic. "I'm sorry, Jackson, for being so stubborn. I didn't understand you, but I do now. Look, we're going to be great parents. You're going to be an amazing dad."

"You think so?"

"I do." She said, holding her arms around his neck. "I think our daughter couldn't have a better dad. And I couldn't have chosen a better husband."

"I'm going to do my best. I'm going to protect our little girl and stand by her every step of the way."

"I know you will. You're going to be the world's greatest dad." She kissed his lips and he pulled her body closer, lifting her up from the ground. "I know it's sudden and soon, but this is our little family…we can do this."

"We can do this." He mumbled against her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Oh, by the way…you're not really serious about Rainbow, are you?"

"Maybe…"She giggled, teasing him.

He knew by the tone of her voice she was kidding and so he decided to carry her inside. Kissing her deeply, he reminded himself how much he missed his wife. She told him he was going to be a great dad, but now all he wanted to do was prove her how great of a husband he could be.

…

**AN:**

Hello, beautiful people

What did you think about this chapter? Are you happy with this outcome? And are you happy it's a girl? I hope you are.

Thank you so much for your reviews and support. They mean a lot to me. Please leave your opinions. They inspire me.

Now, of course I'm not naming their child Rainbow. Though I hope you liked the reference. Also note that I might've played a little with the fact that Ellen Pompeo has a little girl named Stella Luna. Got the reference? It was just for fun.

How do you feel about Grace or Ella? Anyways, tell me your opinions on baby names! I'm open to whatever names you like and we can even play a little game. The one with more votes wins. How about that?

English is not my first language, so any mistakes you might find, let me know and I'll correct them.

Keep reading. I'll update soon.

Love,

Annie


	8. the hardest part

"How are my two girls doing today?" Jackson asked, coming from April's back, who was sitting by the computer on the nurses' station.

"We're good." She replied, when he planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. "You didn't tell anybody, right?"

"Nope." A week had passed by since their fight. They knew the sex of their baby, but decided to keep it to themselves.

"Not even your mom?"

"Not even my mom."

"Good. She already called my twice today. She's really trying to find out if we already know the sex of our baby." She said. It was hard not to mention their baby as a girl in front of other people and she knew it was going to be a challenge to act like they didn't the sex of their baby for the rest of her pregnancy. But this was their secret. "Anyways, my sisters want to throw me a baby shower."

"Oh, ok."

"I'm not so sure if I want them to throw me a baby shower though." She confessed, feeling a little bit guilty. "I remember very well the last time they were here and the disaster that was my bridal shower. I don't know if I want to go through that all over again."

"It's going to be different this time, I mean…you're married and pregnant. It's not like they're going to keep making fun of you."

"Yeah, I don't know."

"Look, if you want to do the baby shower, we'll do the baby shower. If you don't want them to throw you a baby shower then…" He said, leaning closer. "…we can have a baby shower of our own. A private baby shower."

He was looking at her with hungry eyes, the ones she fell for every time. His voice, low and deep, could turn every word he said into something sexy. She couldn't help but to get lost in him, as usual. "You should probably stop, Dr Avery…I'm trying to work here. You, making everything sound so sexy, are distracting me right now."

"I think you've been working too hard, Dr Kepner. Don't you wanna take a break?" She knew very well what he was suggesting. Actually, there was nothing else she would rather do than to take a break from work with him in that moment. "Maybe we could run down to a supply closet and…"

"Dr Kepner, we need you." A paramedic pushing a gurney yelled, bursting into the doors, interrupting their moment. "We've got a seven year old boy shot in the chest."

April quickly ran towards them.

At the same time another gurney entered the room. "We also have a five year old girl. A bullet grazed her shoulder." Jackson turned his attention to the little girl who was crying hysterically. From what he could see she didn't have a profound wound. There was a little blood and a dark spot, but not much else. Behind the paramedics came running down two adults. They were looking overstressed. He came to the conclusion that the children must be related, when they started screaming when the hospital staff prevented them from entering the room where they had taken the little boy.

"They were playing outside, in our garden, when I heard a loud noise. It seemed like a gunshot." A woman, who Jackson thought to be the mother, said in total despair. "And then I looked through the window and I saw my boy lying on the ground. I ran outside as fast as I could, then I saw Kaley with a gun in her hands. She shot Jonah. She shot her brother, then she got scared and tripped. The gun fired by itself when she fell down and the bullet grazed her shoulder. But Jonah…he was covered in blood. They were playing. Kaley told me they were playing."

"Look, its ok. I'm Dr Avery, I'm going to take care of Kaley. Luckily the bullet didn't do any damage. Ok? It just a small wound. I'm going to clean it up and she should be fine." He tried to ease the woman.

"What about our boy?" She asked, tearing up. "Dr Avery, do you think Jonah will be fine?"

"I know Dr Kepner is an amazing doctor. She'll do her best. We've got a great team." One thing he learned a long time ago was not to give high hopes to the families. Surgeries could be doing very well in one second, only to turn into a complete chaos the next. "Now, lets take care of this little one." He turned to the girl with his best smile. She wouldn't stop crying. "Hey, honey…it's ok. It's ok."

"Where's Jonah?" She asked.

Jackson barely understood her, since she was sobbing hard. "Hum, Jonah has got a wound. But the doctors are fixing him, ok?"

"They are?"

"They are…" he wasn't exactly sure of what to say to a five year old who had just shot her brother unconsciously. "And right now I need you to stop crying, ok? I know your wound hurts too, but I'm going to take care of it. We're going to fix it too, ok?"

The girl slowly nodded her head, cleaning the tears in her eyes with her hands. "Ok."

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Kaley." She said, calmer now, with her voice still shaky.

"Kaley? That's a pretty name." He said, trying to make conversation with the girl to distract her. He put on his gloves and continued. "And how old are you, Kaley?"

She lifted her right hand wide open.

"You're five?" She simply nodded. "Uau, you're such a big girl, huh! Ok, Kaley. This might burn a little, but you're big girl, alright!" She nodded once more. He could tell she was trying her best not to start crying again. "You're a strong girl, aren't you?"

"Yes…" Kaley said, with a weak tone.

…

An hour later, April made her way back from surgery. She was exhausted. She did her best, but her best wasn't enough and now she had to deliver the worst news.

She saw that Jackson was still with the parents and the little girl. Looking at him and how he interacted with the child made her feel a little bit lighter. Soon he was going to be interact with their own daughter.

She stopped a few steps back, just trying to gain the confidence needed. She always feared this part. This was the hardest part for sure.

"So you do the ballet?" She heard Jackson ask the little girl. He was sitting on the girl's bed, with his back to April, so he didn't notice her presence.

"Yes. I love ballet. I'm a ballerina." The little girl replied. She had the cutest voice ever, April thought. "Mommy got me the prettiest ballerina tutu and a tiara. I can't wear it to school, because mom says it will get dirty."

"Is that so?" He asked again, appearing to be very entertained.

"Yes, I wear it around the house sometimes, but Jonah makes fun of me."

Suddenly, she felt her stomach drop to the floor. Jonah. That was his name. She always made sure she knew what her patients' names were. Sometimes, she even got emotional with their stories and how they got there. This case was not different. Actually, it was even harder, because he was only a child. How could she deliver the news when Jonah was no longer here?

Taking a deep breath she knew it was time now. She had to do it. "Hum, Mr and Mrs Malone, I'm Dr Kepner…May I speak with you privately?"

"Of course." Mrs Malone said, leaving the space to approach April. "I'm Jonah's mom. Is he ok?"

She looked at her and paused. Then, she looked at Jackson, giving him a sign to keep the child entertained. They were still too close and she didn't want the little girl to hear her.

"Dr Kepner, is my son alright?" This time was the man who spoke.

"Hum, we rushed Jonah to surgery. The bullet hit him through the chest, perforating his lung. Unfortunately, we couldn't contain the bleeding and…"

"No…" Mrs Malone quickly understood what she was saying. Placing both hands on top of her mouth, her eyes were filled with tears in a second.

"I'm so sorry." April continued. "We really did the best we could, but…"

"No..." hearing the voice of Jonah's mom broke her heart. She just lost her son and April could see her whole world falling apart in her eyes.

"No!" Mr Malone almost shouted."You killed our son."

"What?" She wondered, completely blindsided by his sudden accusation.

"You killed our son. He was just a boy and you killed him." He was now speaking loudly, making a move towards her.

"I'm sorry, sir, but…I really did what I could do…I"

"NO! You killed my boy." He said, reaching his arms to her.

April felt his hands grab her shoulders and violently shake her. "Sir, please calm down."

"Calm down?" he asked, aggressively.

He pushed April back with such strength, he made her trip on her own feet. She almost fell down, but somehow managed to maintain her balance. However, he continued to attack her. "You killed my son. What kind of a doctor are you?"

When Jackson noticed the commotion, he got up from the girl's bed, who was starting to cry again after hearing the fight. "Hey…hey…stop."

"You killed him!" Mr Malone completely ignored Jackson, keeping his attention on April.

"HEY!" Jackson shouted, putting his body in front of April. The man was really starting to lose his mind, attacking her with his fists. Jackson positioned himself in front of her, facing the man. He pushed him back, trying to keep him away from his wife. "What kind of a man are you to put your hands on a woman? On a pregnant woman?"

His words didn't make a difference on the man's violent moves. It was like he was out of himself. Then he threw himself at Jackson with a punch.

Jackson took a step back, deviating from the punch. "Hey, calm down, man…"

"She killed my boy." He said again; his voice full of anger.

"No…" Mrs Malone finally spoke. Her face was covered in tears. "…No, she didn't." The man turned to his wife. "Dr Kepner didn't kill our son."

Jackson could feel the tension in the air.

"You killed our son." Mrs Malone said to her husband, pointing a finger at him. "You killed our son, because if it wasn't for your stupid guns, then Jonah would have never been shot."

"What?"

"Yes, you heard me." Her face was red, from all the tears and the anger. "How many times did I tell you I didn't want guns around the house? You didn't listen and now look what happened. Kaley and Jonah found your gun, they thought it was a toy."

"I…"

"No!" She cut him off. "You killed our son…and that's something you're going to have to deal with for the rest of your life. So don't blame Dr Kepner for this, because this accident was your fault."

Jackson looked around, but April was no longer there.

…

He found her after a few minutes of looking. She was sitting on a bed of an empty room, crying.

"April, are you ok?" He was genuinely worried. "Did that man hurt you?"

"I'm fine." She replied, leaning against his body when he sat next to her "I just feel like this was my fault. I tried my best, we all did, but the wound was too deep and he kept bleeding."

"I know." He said, putting an arm around her frame. "But it wasn't your fault. It was an accident. They were playing with the gun. They thought it was a toy."

"And now that little girl is going to have to live with the death of her brother on her shoulders forever." She buried her face on Jackson's chest to hide her tears. "It's not fair."

"I know, it's not fair." He said, stroking her hair with his free hand.

"I'm so sad…" She confessed, mumbling into his shirt. "That little girl is so precious and now she's going to live with the image of her brother lying on the ground covered in blood and…"

"It's hard. But I'm sure she'll be fine." He said, trying to calm her down. He knew how these cases could really put her down. "I don't know how, but I'm sure she will."

April looked at him with a small smile on her face. "I saw you talking to the girl."

"Yeah, I was trying to keep her entertained. She was really nervous when she got to the hospital, but she eventually calmed down."

"You looked really cute, by the way."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes. I couldn't help but think about our daughter. Seeing you interact with that little girl like that made me realize how an amazing dad you're going to be."

"Yeah…I can't wait to meet our baby."

"Can't wait to meet her too."

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

What did you think about this chapter?

I know it was a short, maybe boring one, but I hope you liked still.

Thank you so much for all your reviews and considerations on baby names.

From what I could tell, you like the name Ella.

Ella Avery sounds good to me. How do you feel about that?

Anyways, I'm going to write some smut on the next chapter. But tell me…do you want hot smut, something more explicit or what? Tell your opinions.

A lot more is still going to happen with the Averys.

Please leave your review. They really inspire me.

Also note that English is not my first language, so any mistakes you might find, let me know.

I'll update soon.

Love,

Annie.


	9. i need you now

**RATED M**

**Enjoy some Japril sexy times!**

…

Jackson spotted his wife through the open door of his office, her arms crossed against her chest, a worried look on her face and her foot tapping the floor uncontrollably.

The meeting was almost finished and they were almost leaving the room when he heard a knock on the open door of his office.

"Hum, Dr Avery, can I talk to you?" She spent the past five minutes there, just waiting to talk to him, but his meeting was starting to drive her crazy. It was taking too long, so she decided to take action.

"Is everything ok?" He was starting to get seriously concerned.

"Yes, I just need to talk to you…it's urgent."

"Oh, it's ok." Said the person Jackson was having a meeting with. "I was just about to leave. Thank you for your time Dr Avery."

"You're welcome, Dr Robertson." He replied, shaking his hand.

When the man left the room, April quickly shut the door of his office, locking it.

"What happened?" He asked, stepping closer to her, looking at her from head to bottom, worried it could have been something wrong with her or the baby.

"Nothing happened." She said, attacking his lips. "I just needed to see you."

Jackson pulled her away, grabbing her waist. "What? You just interrupted my meeting because you wanted to see me?"

"Hum, yes, but you were almost done anyways…" She kissed him again, placing her hands against his chest, forcing him to step back to his desk. "I was dying to see you. Now, take off your shirt."

"Look who's being bossy now?" He noted, realizing how needy she was. "But I can't. I have a surgery in thirty minutes."

"Then we have to make it quick." She said, reaching his desk and pushing all his papers to the left. "C'mon, Jackson. I'm dying here!" She reached for his hands to pull him closer, before entangling her arms around his neck and sitting on top of the desk.

"Why do I feel like you only use me for sex lately?"

"Because I do use you for sex." He threw his head back, but she didn't let him go. Instead, she held his neck tighter. "Look, I'm pregnant and I'm horny. Giving me sex is the least you can for me!"

Jackson placed his hands on her stomach, feeling her baby bump through her shirt. She was about to enter her fifth month of pregnancy and her bump was showing now. "I'm seriously starting to feel like your boy toy."

"Well, that's because you are." She whispered into his ear. "You're my very sexy, hot husband and I'm gonna take advantage of you."

"April…"

"You said you have a surgery in thirty minutes, so don't argue with me on this, Jackson." She started moving her hands to the top of his pants. "I really, really need you right now." She put down his pants before he could even say a word against it. "Plus, I know how you like it rough sometimes." Then, she started playing with his boxers, slowly moving her hand against his member.

"April…" he moaned with her touch.

She placed her lips on his neck, kissing it gently. "Don't you like it rough, Jackson?" She teased him, continuing to move her hand, but this time inside his boxers. He gasped when she started stroking his member softly.

April moved her free hand to the back of his neck. Then, she started planting light kisses down his throat.

"I don't have time for this, April." He tried to said, knowing very well how there was no way he was going to be able escape his wife at this point.

She parted her lips slightly, placing them on his skin firmly. She then took a deep breath and started sucking his neck tenderly. She could feel his skin tingle with her touch. He was right where she wanted.

After a few seconds, her lips left his neck and she planted a gentle kiss on the marked area, acknowledging how sensitive it would be.

Then, she felt his hands travel from her waist to the top of her scrub pants. She allowed him to take off both her pants and her panties by lifting up her bottom just a little bit.

She opened her legs to let him fit in, letting him reposition in front of her. Feeling him so close like that took her to the edge. "I need you know, Jackson." She said, almost whispering.

He didn't think twice, since he needed her too. And so, he grabbed the back of her bum, pushing her towards him.

She let her hands escape from inside of his boxers to its sides, to push them to the floor as well. She couldn't take the anticipation anymore. She wanted him, she needed him. Not even a minute later, she felt him inside of her.

…

"Can I ask you a question?" Jackson was having surgery with Meredith. His mind kept wondering around what happened about an hour before. How April demanded sex from him and how he was used to that by now.

"Hum, sure…"Meredith replied.

"Ok, how were you physically, you know, when you were pregnant?"

"I was big, tired and my feet were swollen most of the time." Meredith asked, without even looking up. "Why?"

"No, I mean…how were you physically? He questioned again, putting an emphasis on the 'physically' part.

Meredith looked at him with a clueless stare. Then it hit her. "Are you talking about my sex life?" He shyly nodded, feeling too awkward to speak. "I'm not talking to you about my sex life."

"I'm not a pervert or anything. I'm just wondering." He defended himself. This was a bad idea and he was now realizing that. "I just wanted to know if it's normal for pregnant woman to feel, you know…like having sex all the time."

"I can see that you're having trouble keeping up with your wife." She said, playfully.

"I'm not having trouble keeping up…" He shouldn't have started this conversation. If April knew he was talking to somebody else about their sex life, she would probably kill him. "…you know what? Nevermind!"

"Who would have thought? April Kepner, from Virgin Mary to sex addict." She continued teasing him. "You know that this is your fault, right?! You created a monster."

Indeed, he created a monster. He couldn't help but to feel proud about it. He was the one to awake April to her sexual side. He was the only one she'd even been with. That was something he could never pass through. She was his from the beginning. "Yeah, right."

"Wait a second…" Meredith said, staring at him. She even leaned over the body of the person having surgery to take a closer look. "…is that a hickey?"

"What?" He asked. He had completely forgotten about the mark of April's lips on his neck. "No!" he said, twisting his neck, trying to hide it.

"It is! I now a hickey when I see one and that one looks fresh. Oh my gosh, you had sex before you got in here."

"No…" He said again, knowing that if he wasn't wearing a mask, she would probably be able to see his cheeks turn red. He usually wasn't shy when it came to talking about sex, but being with his wife was different, almost sacred and nobody had to know about their sex adventures. April could be naughty, but only he had to know that.

"I'm telling you…Kepner keeps surprising me. I mean, the whole hospital knows you've been doing it like bunnies since you got married and that's probably part of the reason why she got pregnant so quickly, but…"

"Ok, that's enough." This was going too far. He shouldn't have said anything.

"…but…" Meredith continued, ignoring him. "It's normal for a pregnant woman to find their sex drive higher than normal and to feel like they're hungry all the time. It's understandable, I mean…there are a lot of pregnancy hormones flowing around."

"Our sex life has always been great, but now…it's over the top. She wants it all the time." He confessed.

"Well, if I could give you any piece of advice it would be to just enjoy it." She told him, completely understanding where he was coming from. "Look, when the baby is born, you won't find the time to sleep, let alone have sex. So, enjoy. Believe me…your long nights of love making are almost gone. Soon enough you'll be changing diapers, feeding bottles, trying to realize why your baby won't stop crying… You'll be losing your mind."

"I know…" He said, taking a deep breath, somehow imaging his future.

"So just enjoy. Have sex!"

"Right." Looking from this perspective, she was right. After all, April and him were not even married for that long before finding out she was pregnant. They needed to enjoy themselves while they still got the time to do it.

"I've kind of always rooted for you and Kepner, you know…"

"Thanks." Jackson looked at her, smiling. "Look, just don't tell anybody we had this conversation, ok? April would kill me if she knew."

…

Jackson entered their bedroom to find April wrapped around a towel. She had been showering and was now applying lotion on her body.

"Hey, babe. You're home." She greeted him with a huge smile.

"Hey." He approached her to give her a kiss on the temple. Then, he placed his hands on her waist and buried his nose on the crook of her neck. "You smell good."

"Thanks." She said, putting her hands against his chest. "I missed you today."

"You saw me today…"

"But I didn't get to see you all afternoon." Pressing her hands against his muscles, she leaned onto his ear and whispered. "You know I'm naked, right?"

"I'm aware of that." He replied, knowing very well where she was taking this.

"Good." She said, moving her hands to the hem of his shirt. "Now get naked!"

"April…" He stopped her from removing his shirt. "We did it your way this morning. Now, we're going to do it my way."

She looked at him with a curious stare. "What do you mean?"

"I love having sex with you…" he said, holding her body closer to his. "…but tonight I want to make love to you. Slow and softly."

Then, he proceeded to kiss her lips gently. April moved her hands and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to pull her even closer, as he put his hands up her back.

He opened up his mouth, to let his tongue make its way to hers. He wanted to explore her taste. When he felt her hands travel from his neck to his chest, he moved his body just to make enough space for her hands to take off his shirt. He held his arms over his head to let his shirt fall to the floor. Then he felt her hands move to his jeans and start undoing his trousers. When they were gone, he took a step back, kicking them to a corner.

He felt April brush her body against his, placing her arms on his neck again. It was getting hard having the proximity they wanted and were used to, since her baby bump was starting to pop out. But he needed to feel her closer and so he helped her wrap her legs around his waist, taking all the strength he had to carry her to the bed.

Never leaving her lips, he deposited her body on the bed. He took position on top of her, carrying his weight on his arms, too afraid that his body could crush hers. She spread her legs, to let his body fit hers.

Jackson parted his lips from hers and started kissing her neck, just where he knew she liked it. When she moaned, he started licking her neck further down, making the way to her collarbone. He stopped when he reached the top of the towel that was still covering her body. Slowly, with one hand, he started opening the towel, leaving her body totally exposed to his sight. She lifted up her body to let him throw the towel away.

He kissed and licked her collar bone again, making his way down her chest. His lips explored her breasts and sucking her nipples, one at a time, he almost led her to the edge. He felt good when she moaned his name quietly and she was moaning now, desperate for him. Teasing her even more, he flicked and pinched her nipple with his teeth, while touching her body with his free hand.

"Jackson…" she moaned. He smirked and decided to move his lips down her body, kissing her stomach. Her baby bump was definitely growing now. It was beautiful in his eyes and so was her whole figure.

He stopped on the edge of her stomach, trying to meet her eyes, but she was somewhere in wonderland, with her eyes tightly closed. She placed one hand on top of his head, almost forcing him down. She was eager for him and he knew it.

Then, he softly blew his lips down there, before moving them to her inner tights, leaving a trace of kisses down each sides. Her head tilted back in pleasure as his mouth was only a few inches away from where she wanted him to be. He could see she was already wet there, only waiting for him to take action.

He glided his hand from her neck to her stomach, as slowly as he could, loving every minute of his tease. Her chest was arching with her heavy breathing and her teeth were biting her lower lips.

When he reached down, he ran his fingers gently along her wet center, making her moan once again. Then, he started rubbing her clit, making it swell. He could feel her body rise and her back arch in pleasure.

Moving his fingers in a circular order, he captured her lips with his, kissing her deeply. "That feels really good…" She mumbled against his mouth. Her words made him want to work on her even harder and so, he moved his lips to her pussy.

Removing his hand from her center, he started sucking her clit lightly, flicking it with his tongue vigorously. April grabbed firmly the bed cover under her with her hands, allowing her body to fill up with pleasure.

He took her legs and placed them on top of his shoulders, only to bury his face deeper into her, improving the movements of his tongue. Her whole body trembled hard and her legs clenched around him. He knew how close she was now, but he wanted to give her more. So, he slipped two fingers inside of her, making her groan his name louder. Her body started to shake as he stroked his fingers further down inside of her. "Jackson…please…please…" He heard her say, completely lost in him. Her walls were getting tighter and she was getting wetter.

"Cum for me, baby…cum for me." He demanded, speaking in between breaths.

"I'm…I'm…aah…" she didn't even need to finish her sentence, since he saw her body shiver as she reached her orgasm.

He smiled to himself when she was finished and kissed her center one last time, before moving his body up to lie his head on the pillow next to her.

"That was really great." She said, turning to the side, while licking her lips, still in complete bliss.

He turned to the side as well to face her. "My way, slow and softly, is always better." He remarked with a grin, moving a lock of her wet hair from her forehead.

"I guess you're right." She giggled, before she planted a kiss on his lips, intertwining her legs with his. "But we're not done here…"

He fell back onto his back, letting her climb on top of him. Her legs wide open, fitting perfectly against his hips. She continued to kiss his lips as she rocked her body gradually against his boxers. Then, she moved her mouth to his neck, leaving a trace of sweet kisses behind, until she reached his chest.

She looked at him and moved her hands to his underwear, lifting herself up to let it slide off his sides. Jackson kicked his boxers to the edge of the bed. Feeling his member closer now, she started moving her hips again. Her lips traveling up his neck, stopping by the hickey she gave him that morning. "I love it when you leave marks on my, baby." He whispered.

"You're mine." He could feel her hot breath on his skin. It gave him chills. "I'm just marking my territory."

He loved the thought of being hers, just as much as the thought of her being his. Then, he felt her lips slowly travel down his neck again; she was taking her time, while her hands wandered freely through his torso, exploring his body. She kept rocking her body against his, without letting him enter her just yet.

Jackson placed his hands on her waist, making her move just a little bit and look up at him. After taking a few seconds to admire her body, he simply smiled and said "I love you."

She grabbed the side of his face and devoured his lips. He knew how much confidence she used to gain when he said things like that.

At this point he was very much aroused. And so, she lifted up her bottom just to tease him a little bit, letting him feel her entrance. But the teasing was driving him crazy. "April, I need to be inside of you…now."

He could tell just by the look on her face, by the naughty smile on her lips, that's she's dying to have him inside of her, all of him inside her. Every inch of her body is begging for it…for him. And so, she guided his erection into her tight center. Once he was inside, she started rocking her hips slowly. He rested his hands on her waist as she placed hers on his bare chest.

When she started increasing the pace, he felt her nails embed a mark on his skin, digging deeper. Soft moans escaped from his mouth as waves of pleasure ran up and down his body.

Jackson moved his hips with her, determined to go further inside of her with every stroke, to take her over the edge, to make her savor every inch of his being.

Her back started to arch and she tilted her head back, closing her eyes in the process. Her still wet hair spraying little bits of water down his legs as it bounced with her movements. He licked his lips, closing his eyes as well.

If he could, he would merge his body with hers, to let them become just one. So, he thrust himself harder and deeper into her. "Jackson…" She whispered. He didn't reply, he just moaned. He couldn't even think straight at this point.

Their bodies were sweaty and the air around the room was hot. Or maybe it was just him that was feeling too hot, too aroused by wife…it made him feel thirsty, like his throat was shutting down, like he couldn't even breathe anymore. He just wanted her taste, he just needed her taste.

He moved his hands from her waist to her lower back and opened up his eyes. Her breast were swaying up and down…actually, her breast were starting to look much bigger than what they usually are. It made him wish he was able to lick them, twitching her nipples with his teeth.

He was close to climaxing, but he wanted to let her reach it first. Somehow he knew she was close too. She was about to lose herself in the pleasure she was getting and he wanted to let that pleasure consume her completely.

Before long, her body caved in, not able to hold it anymore. "Jackson…" She moaned. Her voice triggered his appetite and he followed her a few seconds later.

April crashed next to him, completely exhausted. Her body was still shaking from her strong orgasm.

Jackson pulled her closer to him, embracing her body, every inch of her perfect body, and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. "You're amazing." He said, touching her face with one hand. She simply smiled and placed her lips on top of his again.

When they parted, Jackson looked at her. The soft, white skin of her cheeks were burning red but in his eyes she never looked more beautiful.

"Jackson…" She whispered, drawing an invisible line with her finger on his chest.

"What?"

"I'm starving!"

He let out a small laugh. "Of course you are…" He said, sarcastically.

"Hey, don't make fun. I'm eating for two now."

"I know, babe." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "What do you feel like eating?"

"Hum…I don't know." She took a few seconds to think. "Oh, banana pancakes and a strawberry milkshake."

He stared at her with a smirk on his face. "You want pancakes for diner?"

"Hey, you can't question a pregnant woman's wishes. It's our baby who wants banana pancakes and a milkshake, not me…"

"Right!" He said, knowing very well that the baby had nothing to do with it. "I'm gonna make you some pancakes, as the good husband that I am, but first you're gonna have to agree with me."

She looked at him confused. "Agree with you on what?"

"Slow and softly is much better."

She hold him closer and leaned her face to his. "Slow and softly is much, much better." She said, before leading the way to his lips once again.

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

What are your thoughts on this chapter? Did you like it?

I hope you did.

Leave your review and let me know.

Note that English is not my first language, so any mistakes you find, let me know.

Thank you so much for reading this. Hope you keep reading the story and enjoy it as well.

I'll update soon.

Love,

Annie.


	10. every little inch of you

"They are all so cute." April said, holding in her hands a few items of clothing. "I don't know which one to choose."

"That's not a problem…we can have them all."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. And besides, the baby's gonna need clothes anyways…"Jackson reassured her. She had spent the last twenty minutes looking at six pairs of different types of baby sleepsuits without being able to choose just one or two. She loved them all. Actually, they had spent the past hour or so shopping for baby clothes and she already had five other bags in her hands full of stuff. It was an exciting time to be finally buying things for their baby. They didn't worry about getting ready for the baby's arrival until now, since her prominent baby bump was a sign that time was passing by too quickly.

"You don't think it's too much?"

"No, of course not." He said, when his phone rang. "Ok, I gotta take this call. Here, use the credit card and meet outside, ok?"

"Ok!" She replied, taking the card from his hand.

…

When he finished the phone call, a few minutes later, April still hadn't left the store. He was about to walk in when he heard someone shout his name.

"Jackson?"

"No way" He said, turning around. "Luke?"

"Hey, man…Haven't seen you in a while!"

"Yeah, how have you been?" He asked, shaking his friend's hand.

"Good..." He replied, excited to meet him there. "Just moved to Seattle!"

"Oh, nice…"

"Hey, I heard that you practically run Grey-Sloan now, is that true?"

"Hum, no!" Jackson responded a little too embarrassed. "…I'm still just a surgeon."

"Right. What specialty did you choose by the way?"

"Plastics."

"Oh, guess the ladies were right after all…you really do have soft hands." Luke noticed throwing a soft punch in his shoulder.

"Right…" He replied, awkwardly.

"Talking about the ladies, do you wanna hang out tonight? Grab some dinner…then hit the town, pick up some chicks like the good old days?"

"Hum, actually things are different now. I'm married!" he said lifting up his hand to show him his wedding ring.

"You're what?" His friend asked, completely caught off guard. "How come I didn't know about this?"

"Hum, it's a long story!"

"So you're married?" He asked again. "Who is your wife? I mean…is she anyone I know?"

"No, I don't think so…" He replied, seeing that April was finally leaving the store. "Actually, here she is."

"Hey…" April greeted them, carrying a couple of new shopping bags in her hands.

"Babe, this is Luke Hamilton, an old friend of mine." Jackson introduced them. "Luke, this is April, my wife and this…" He said, placing a hand on her bump. "…is my baby."

"Oh, wow…April, nice to meet you!" Luke reached his hand to greet April, overwhelmed by everything he was seeing.

"Nice to meet you too." She shook his hand and smiled.

"Jackson Avery is a family man now. Can't say how surprised I am."

"Right…" Jackson said, not comfortable at all. Luke and he were friends for a long time; he knew better than anyone Jackson's womanizer ways.

"Oh, I was just telling Jackson how we should go grab some dinner." Luke turned to April. "We haven't seen each other in such a long time. Maybe you could join us and…"

"That's a great idea!" She said, turning to Jackson. "Actually, why don't you hang out with your friend and I'll meet you guys for dinner?"

"Oh, that'd be great." Luke replied, dying to spent time with his friend and know more about what happened in the past few months.

"Are you sure, honey?" Jackson asked, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Don't you need help with the bags?"

"No, this is just baby clothes…I'm fine, Jackson." She reassured him. "I'll be fine!"

"Ok. Thanks, babe." He said, kissing her forehead. "I'll text you the restaurant address later."

"Great!" she said, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Luke. I'll see you guys later!"

When April left, Luke immediately turned to Jackson. "So you got married and didn't even invite me to the wedding?"

"Actually, we didn't invite anybody." Jackson didn't want to get into details, but decided to say something either way. "We kind of eloped."

"Eloped?"

"Yeah, we drove down to Lake Tahoe and got married without anyone knowing."

"Lake Tahoe? That far?"

"Yeah…" He replied; memories of their wedding somehow feeling up his mind. "She wanted to get married in a field with butterflies. Lake Tahoe seemed the right place. I honestly just wanted to marry her."

"Wow, you seem to be really smitten for her." He said, noticing how Jackson's mind was travelling. "So how did you two meet?"

"Hum, we met when we were still interns…we were friends for a while." He replied, trying not to give much away.

"I still can't believe you're married and about to become a dad. How far along is she?"

"She's five, almost six months pregnant."

"And are you excited?"

Jackson smiled. "I am…I really am!"

"Guess you turned your life around, huh?!"

"Guess I did…but I don't regret one second of it. I love her. She's the one…and I already love our baby too." He replied.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day a woman could turn Jackson Avery's heart from stone into honey. She really got you to soften up!"

"Hey, I'm happy. I'm very happy…and no one can blame me for that." He said, not being able to stop smiling. "So, you moved to Seattle?" He tried to change the topic. "Tell me all about it…"

…

Later that day, Jackson and Luke were already at the restaurant, but April was running almost forty-five minutes late.

He was starting to get worried, since he didn't get any news from her yet. What if she got into some kind of accident? A millions thoughts were running through his mind when finally his phone rang.

It was her. He heard her say how she was feeling too tired from all the shopping; how her feet were killing her. But she told him it was ok, that he could stay with his friend and have dinner with him, because she'd be fine. However, he could sense something different in her voice. She was not fine and he knew it.

…

Fifteen minutes later he was home, only to find her in their bedroom, surrounded by clothes dropped on the floor.

"April?"

"Jackson" She turned around with the sound of his voice, completely caught off guard. "What are you doing home?"

"You called…" He said, staring at the mess.

"I said I was fine…"

"I could tell by the sound of your voice that you weren't."

"How did you even get here?"

"I asked Luke to drop me off."

"You didn't have to come."

"I wanted to. You're my wife and I was worried." He said, firmly, not in the mood to argue. "Now are you going to tell what's going on and why are all these clothes doing on the floor?"

"Ok, fine." She looked at him and scratched the back of her head. "I wanted to look nice tonight, so I headed home, got in the shower, then I…I looked for something to wear."

"And…"

"And I couldn't find anything…Jackson, nothing fits me." She said, desperately. "I'm so stupid, I mean…I completely forgot how much my body changed. I had to buy new jeans the other day, my shirts won't even fit me anymore, they're too tight and now I tried to put on a dress, but none of my dresses fit me."

"April…"

"Nothing fits me, because I'm too fat. Heck, I even think I broke the zipper on this one trying to pull it up." She said, picking up a green dress from the floor. "And the truth is I felt too embarrassed to leave the house, because nothing fits me and I look horrible. I mean, I love our baby, but look at me, Jackson."

"April, calm down." He stepped closer to her and put his hands around her waist. "It's normal for your clothes not to fit you, but that doesn't mean you're fat."

"But I am fat. I've never been fat my entire life and now I feel that way and it's horrible! I feel like I'm drowning into other people's body, like I don't know my body anymore." She confessed. "I just wanted to look nice tonight…"

"You always look nice. You're gorgeous."

"C'mon, Jackson, don't…" She said, letting go from his arms.

"But I mean it. I love you and I think you're beautiful no matter what." He reached for her hand again. "April, look at me." She looked up at him not very convinced. "You wanna know what Luke told me today?" She simply nodded her head. "He said that I did well by marrying you, because…and let me think about his correct words…she's a nice looking redhead."

"You're kidding me, right?!..."

"I'm not!" he said, placing his hands around her waist one more time. "I swear that's what he said. So, there you have it…you're beautiful, babe, and I'm not the only one to see it."

"Nice looking?...That's not even a compliment!"

"It is."

"Ok, fine. But what if I get to the point where I can't lose the baby weight afterwards?"

"You'll lose the baby weigh, April. And even if you don't, I don't care."

"You do care." She said, hopelessly. "Don't lie to me just to make me feel good."

"Hey, look at me." He put one hand under her chin. "I love you just the way you are. I don't care, I mean it."

"Even if I weigh 300 pounds?"

"Like that's possible." He said, with a small laugh. "Besides, if you weigh 200 pounds then there's only more of you for me to love."

"Jackson…" She smiled, slapping his shoulder.

"I think I'm the luckiest guy in the planet. I'm married to a wonderful, gorgeous, sexy woman, who's not only beautiful, but extremely smart. And I couldn't be more proud that you're my wife." He started kissing her neck. "I love you, April…every little inch of you."

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

Sorry for the short chapter.

The next one will be longer and I can't wait for you to read it. It's gonna take place in the fund raiser party mentioned in chapter 3.

Anyways, thank you for reading the story and for your support.

Please, leave your review. They mean a lot to me and they really inspire to me to write.

Hope you like this simple chapter.

Note that English is not my first language, so let me know if you find any spelling or grammar mistakes.

I'll update soon and please leave your review.

Love,

Annie.


	11. the hamptons

It was almost 1 AM and April couldn't find a good position to sleep. And it was too hot anyways, and she felt thirsty. She wouldn't say that she was nervous. But maybe that was the real reason to why she couldn't sleep.

Here she was, in this exquisite mansion, in the Hamptons, and tomorrow was the night of the Avery Foundation fund raiser. Jackson was sleeping by her side, completely unaware of her distress.

Finally, she decided she needed some water and so she got up from the bed, trying not to wake up Jackson in the process. Standing up, she adjusted her pink nightgown and, in the dark, tried to find the way to the door.

Then, she made her way downstairs. The house was completely silent and the halls were only illuminated by the full moon somehow shinning outside.

When she reached the living room, she stopped for a moment. Everything was ready for tomorrow night. All the tables were set; the stage, in the corner, ready for the live band; the room decorated in a very light, but elegant way.

But then, she noticed a light coming from another room and decided to take a peek.

Catherine Avery was sitting on the white couch of her office, writing some notes on a notebook. She sensed someone by the door and turned her head to see her daughter-in-law peeking in. "April?"

"Oh, Dr Avery…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you, but I saw a light and…"

"What are you doing up this late at night? Shouldn't you be resting? Catherine asked, with a concerned look on her face. "You had a long flight today."

"No, hum…yeah, I was just on my way to the kitchen, to get a glass of water. It's too hot and I can't sleep, so…"

"Oh, then come here, sit with me." She said, moving on the couch to make space for April. "I was just finishing up some details for tomorrow."

"Oh ok." April said, sitting next to Catherine, nervously stroking her baby bump.

"You know, the first time I had to attend one of these events I was so nervous I didn't sleep the night before." Catherine continued, obviously noticing April's anxiety.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah." She stated. "It was terrifying. I thought that people were going judge me or make me feel uncomfortable in some way and guess what?" April looked at her with a curious stare. "They did, because that's what people do. They gossip, they judge you, they try to take advantage of you because of your last name."

"Right…" She simply said, with a low tone. It was clear that she was tense about tomorrow and Catherine's words didn't help at all.

"I was just a young girl, marrying into a very powerful family." Catherine continued, trying to put April more at ease. "But things got better and I eventually stopped being nervous. And I want you to know, April, that tomorrow Jackson and I are going to be there for you, supporting you, because the truth is…this isn't easy. But you're not alone, honey. And I don't want you to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous…" She lied, trying to sound braver than she was feeling at the moment. "Maybe just a little bit, I don't know…I've never been to one of this things before and Jackson mentioned a party, but he didn't tell me it was going to be such a big event."

"What did he tell you, then?"

"That is was fund raiser, a party…but now, looking at this house, the way it's decorated for tomorrow, and looking at the guest list…I mean, it's going to be a big event and he didn't even tell me he was gonna take me to the Hamptons. I've never even been to the Hamptons before."

"You've never been here before?"

"No, never." She confessed, still a little overwhelmed by her surroundings. "My family could never afford vacation here."

"Funny to think about it for a second." Catherine noted, caught in her own memories. "I used to rent a house here, every summer, for Jackson and his friends. They would spend their entire vacations here. Of course I spent most of the time working, so I never really enjoyed it, but…I sure have lots of memories of those days."

"Right." She and her husband couldn't have a more different background. They grew up in a completely different way. She used to spend her summers in the farm and he, from what Catherine said, lived surrounded by luxury his whole life. He was used to this life, he grew up in it and he knew very well how to behave. Thinking about it made her fear tomorrow night even more. "But I mean, now here I am…in this mansion and tomorrow I'm gonna meet all these important people and I feel like I'm going to embarrass myself or the family and I just…"

"Sweetheart, don't worry about it, ok? I'm sure you'll do fine." Catherine placed one hand on top of the hand April was using to stroke unceasingly her baby bump. "Besides, Jackson and I are going to be there for you. You're not alone."

"I know, I know…I just…" April smiled, shyly, feeling too silly now. "I'm nervous."

Catherine looked at her and grabbed her hand. "Come with me."

She led April through the living room and made her way up the stairs. Then, still holding April's hand, she made her way through the corridor and opened the door of her mastersuit.

April stopped, instinctively, by the door. If she thought that the bedroom where she and Jackson were staying was amazing, then she couldn't find words to describe Catherine's room. It was a large space, decorated in tons of white, with a king size bed facing a big window, overlooking the ocean.

"April, what are you doing there? Come here." Catherine said, making a sign for April to come in. "I was going to take care of this tomorrow, but now that you're here…" Catherine said, entering her walking closet, only to leave again after a few seconds later with a blue velvet box in her hand. April walked towards her and sat next to her on the bed. "This is for you."

April took the box in her hands and carefully opened it. She gasped when she found inside the most beautiful jewel. "Oh my gosh…"

"This is a Tiffany's diamond and sapphire necklace. It was given to me, as a present, when I married Jackson's father. And I want you to have it."

"Dr Avery, I can't accept it…it's too much."

"April, didn't I tell to call me Catherine?"

"Hum, yes. It's just the habit." April looked back at the necklace. "But this is too much. I can't have it."

"I want you to have it. It's a present." She said, reaffirming her position. "And I want you to wear it tomorrow night. I'm sure it will look lovely on you."

"Dr Ave…Catherine, I can't…"

"Of course you can." She stated. "It's yours. Accept my present, will you?"

April smiled, completely speechless. "Thank you…I don't even know what to say. It's so beautiful."

"And I'm sure it will look even more beautiful on you." Catherine said, placing one hand on April's cheek. "I'm sorry if I ever doubted your reasons for marrying my son, April. I was just caught off guard. Everything happened so suddenly and didn't even realize you two liked each other or had an intimate relationship. But I admit that I was wrong, that I didn't proceed the right way with you when I made you sign the post-nuptial agreement and I should have never doubted your love for my son."

"Oh, Dr Avery. I'm sorry too. We shouldn't have left you out, but everything happened so quickly and we got caught up in the moment. The truth is we weren't even thinking and…"

"Love makes you do silly things. Things you never expected to do. I understand." Catherine cut her off, moving her hand from April's face to her baby bump. "And I'm so happy for the two of you. Jackson couldn't have chosen a better girl to marry. I worried sometimes, you know. I worried, because I thought he was never going to get married, never going to give me grandchildren, a family. All of a sudden everything happens at once."

"I know. Crazy, right?" April said, glad to be having this moment with her mother-in-law, a woman she had always appreciated and admired.

"Jackson didn't give me any details about your relationship previous to the wedding, but I'm not going to ask. The past is in the past." She continued, taking April's hand again. "But I want you to know that you're my family now too, honey. And if you or the baby need anything, don't hesitate and call me. Any time, any place, ok?" April simply nodded her head, with a smile on her lips. "I'm sure Jackson is going to take good care of the two of you, but…I want you to know that I'm always going to be there, whenever you need me."

"Thank you so much, Dr Avery."

"I already told you to call me Catherine, didn't I?" She said again. "And about tomorrow, don't you worry about a thing. I don't want you to be nervous, ok? I know how you're an amazing, strong woman. But please don't let people's stares or their comments put you down."

April then moved and hugged her mother-in-law tightly. "Thank you so much for everything, Catherine."

"I'm so proud of you, April. Of your journey, of the woman you've become. And I'm sure tomorrow night you'll do great and you're going to make me even prouder."

In that moment they heard a knock on the door. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I woke up and didn't see my wife in bed, so I came looking for her."

"Jackson…" April said, letting go of the embrace to look at her husband. "…hey!"

"April and I were just having a little chat. She couldn't sleep, neither could I, so we were just chatting."

"Oh really? Chatting about what, may I ask?" He wondered, stepping closer to them.

"That's none of your business." Catherine stated, standing up. "Now, off to bed the two of you. You need to rest, tomorrow's a big day."

"C'mon, babe." Jackson said, grabbing April's hand, to help her get up. "Are you ok? You couldn't sleep?"

"No, but I'm fine now. Don't worry." She stood up and held his hand, following him out of the bedroom. "Goodnight, Catherine, and thank you again…for everything."

…

Jackson woke up the next morning with his arms around his wife. She was sleeping peacefully and since she had a hard time falling asleep the night before, he decided to get up without waking her.

He grabbed something light to eat and then he headed off to the beach. He loved working out in the morning, but because of the hospital, he didn't have the time to do so in Seattle.

He was a little nervous about tonight too, because he knew how awkward these events could be and he feared April's reaction to everything. Maybe it was too soon to introduce her to this world or maybe it wasn't the right time, but he knew it was something inevitable.

After running for a while, he decided to go swimming. The water wasn't too cold, nor to warm. And he couldn't lie, he missed the summertime vacation he used to spend in the Hamptons.

He stopped when he saw a small figure coming through the wooden path that led to the sand and he decided to go back.

April looked beautiful, almost radiant. Her six moth pregnant baby bump made her body hug her white summer dress perfectly; her hair was loose, in soft waves; and her pale skin, the one he loved to touch so much, made her look like a porcelain doll.

"You didn't wake me up…I wondered where you were." She said, approaching him, with her arms placed around her belly.

"I thought it was ok. You needed to sleep, to rest." He replied, opening his arms to hold her and kiss her.

"Oh careful, Jackson…" She took a step back "…you're all wet."

"So what? Do you want to join me?" He said in a tease, ignoring her protest and wrapping his arms around her frame. "We can go skinny dipping together!"

"No, the water must be freezing." She replied, placing her arms around his back, feeling the salty water with her hands.

"No, it's actually great. What do you say about that?" He asked, before giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"I can't. You mother wants to take me to the city. Apparently she has this whole day planned out and she wants to take me for manicure and pedicure, shopping, you know…girl stuff. So, we're leaving now."

"You're leaving?" He wondered, in a frustrated tone. "When are you coming back?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure. Maybe later this afternoon."

"Wait, you're gonna spend the whole day out?"

"Hum, yes. Why?"

"What am I supposed to do with you gone all day?"

"Jackson…"

"I'm gonna miss you today." He said, kissing her neck.

"Oh, maybe you could spend some time preparing your speech."

"My speech? Oh, I almost forgot about that."

"You forgot. Jackson, how could you forget about that?"

"I don't know, but don't worry, ok. I'm gonna figure something out." He said, pulling his head back in despair. "I hate doing public speeches."

"I know you do." She cupped his face with her hands and looked into his eyes. "But your mom said you had to say something. People expect you to…after everything."

He knew she was obviously talking about them and somehow he regretted putting her in that position. Nobody outside their circle knew about their story, but people gossiped and he put April in the middle of all that. "My mom really likes you, you know that, right?"

"I kind of realized that last night." She replied, smiling. "Can you believe the necklace she gave me?"

Jackson moved his lips back to her neck, leaving a trace of kisses behind as he spoke. "Well, I'm sure it's going to look amazing on your neck."

"Jackson…" She giggled, when his beard tickled her skin.

Jackson then kissed her lips. But soon, they heard a voice screaming out her name.

"April, sweetheart, let's go." Catherine shouted, from the beginning of the wooden path that connected the house with the beach.

"I have to go." She said, almost in an apologetic way.

"You're really leaving me? Trading me for my mom?"

"Hum, yes. But just today." She kissed him again. "I love you. See you later."

"I love you too."

…

Jackson could hear soft music coming from downstairs as he waited for his wife by their bedroom door. He hadn't seen her all day, since she left with his mother to New York City and spent the whole day with her. He wondered if she was ok, if she was nervous or anxious to come out, but he knew he shouldn't push her. If she needed time, he would give her time.

Then, suddenly, the white door of the bedroom opened up and he couldn't help but to let his jaw drop to the floor. She looked like a vision, wearing a long midnight blue empire waist, v-neck silk-chiffon gown; the dress was covered in crystals; her chest was supported by a pair of spaghetti straps; her right leg was shyly making an appearance, since the dress had a long slit that covered half of her leg; on her feet, a pair of silver platform sandals; her bright red hair was pulled up in a simple, but beautiful up-do; and her neck supported the sapphire and diamond necklace she received as a present from her mother-in-law the night before.

April simply smiled when she saw the effect she had on him. He was completely speechless. "Too much?"

Jackson couldn't stop staring at her or hide the grin on his face. "April, you look…so beautiful."

"Thanks." She said, somehow feeling beautiful too. "Your mother chose this dress for me. It's Versace. I've never worn anything this expensive, but she insisted and I couldn't resist."

"You look absolutely gorgeous." He noted again, still overwhelmed by her beauty.

April took a few steps to reach him and placed her hands on his bow, fixing it. "You look very handsome as well."

"I'm so lucky you're my wife." He said, letting his hands travel to her back. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met and I'm so lucky, because you're mine."

She loved it when he said things like that. "You're gonna make me blush."

"Well…" He said, before kissing her lips tenderly.

When their lips parted, Jackson looked at her up and down again. She was radiant, glowing, stunning and he felt a very lucky man to have her as his wife. She looked beautiful every day in his eyes, but scrubs didn't do her any justice.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked, nervous, but curious about the party downstairs.

"Sure." He replied, kissing her again, before taking her hand on his and making the way down the stairs.

Once they made it to where the party was taking place, April felt people's stares on her. It was awkward feeling that exposed, but she decided to take a deep breath and put a smile on her lips. With Jackson holding her hand firmly, they made their way through the people, only stopping to greet some of them.

People were being very nice, as Jackson introduced her as his wife, never letting go of her hand. She felt safe, like she always did when he was around. He had this peculiar way of making her feel at ease, of holding her ground.

Looking around the room, April realized she was surrounded by unfamiliar faces, she felt their stares and the way they were gossiping between them. Maybe it was just her impression, maybe it was all in her head and nobody even noticed her presence, but she doubted that. She knew she had to keep on smiling and ignore them.

The room was filled with very important, rich people and she never felt more out of place, but this was a role she had to play and she didn't mind. She was a part of this now and being married to Jackson carried this type of responsibilities.

But Jackson seemed so familiarized with everything. After all, he grew up knowing what to do in these situations. Or perhaps it was his personality that made him fit in. He was charismatic, captivating and when he walked in every woman's head turned, everyone wanted to greet him, to talk to him, to meet him. She knew he was every woman's dream and somehow, for some inexplicable reason, he chose her, he loved her and she couldn't have asked God for a better man. In all sorts of ways, he was her everything and she loved him more than words could say.

All of a sudden, she felt someone grab her free hand. Quickly turning around, Catherine approached her. "April, you look beautiful. I knew that dress was the best choice."

"Thank you, Dr Avery." She replied. "You look exquisite too." Catherine was wearing a long red gown with heels and her hair was cascading down her back.

"Now, come with me. I want to introduce you to some people."

"You're going to steal my wife again?" Jackson asked, overhearing the conversation.

"Yes. Just for a few minutes. Dr Howard wants to meet her. He's the head of trauma surgery in a hospital in New York and a great friend of mine. I want you to meet him, April."

"Will you be ok?" Jackson asked his wife.

"I will. Don't worry. Meet you in a bit." She replied, kissing his cheek.

Jackson watched as his wife walked way, almost floating through the room. She never looked more beautiful and he thought she was handling the situation very well, considering she was a stranger to this kind of events. He never liked this parties his mother threw and never enjoyed having to talk to everybody. Actually, he tried to skip them every time he could. But this time he felt good about being here. Maybe April and her presence made all the difference. With her, he felt complete.

After seeing her approach Dr Howard and his wife, he stood there, just watching her from a distance, making sure she was fine. He had always felt protective over her. Perhaps her naïve ways made him feel like he needed to do so. And even though he knew how strong she could be when she wanted to, his protective instincts never left him. She was no longer the naïve friend he once knew. Actually, he watched her fights guys taller and physically stronger than her and every time he tried to rescue her, he ended up having to grab her, preventing her from doing any more damage.

After a few minutes, he turned around, deciding it was time to grab himself a drink. So, he headed to the bar.

He was about to order his drink when he felt a hand touching his shoulder and a warm breath against his ear. "Jackson Avery, it's so good to see you." He didn't realized who it was by the sound of her voice, but then he turned around to find a tall, attractive, blonde woman leaning in towards him. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Shelly, hi." He said, awkwardly, feeling her body way to close to his. "How are you doing?"

"Better now that I found out you were here." She replied, purposely in a low tone, so that she had an excuse to get closer to his body. "Where have you been hiding?"

"Hum, I've not been hiding, but Seattle…I live in Seattle now."

"Such a depressing city. With all the rain and cloudy days." She continued, ignoring his signs of discomfort. "Well, it's so good to see you're back in the Hamptons. Don't you feel nostalgic? Remember all the adventures we lived here?"

Jackson tried to maintain his posture, when all he wanted to do was to back her off. "Look, Shelly, I don't think we…"

"Maybe…" She cut him off completely, moving her hand to his arm, squeezing it to feel his muscles through his tuxedo. "…we can reminisce together, you know, go to quieter place and reminisce about our summer vacation."

He moved from against the counter and tried to escape her arms, feeling too uncomfortable with her suggestions. He knew very well the kind of girl Shelly was and what she wanted right now.

But she was not giving up that easily. Placing one hand on his chest, she stepped even closer to him. "Don't be shy, Jackson. I know you want it."

Suddenly, he felt a presence next to him. "Sorry for making you wait, honey." It was April and he could tell by the look on her face she was not happy with what she was seeing.

"Oh, it's ok." He said, quickly putting an arm around her. "Hum, April this is Shelly Wright. Shelly this is…"

"April Avery." His wife cut him off, extending one hand to greet Shelly. Jackson stared at April with a curious look on his face. She never used his last name before in a public context. "Nice to meet you."

"April Avery?" The blonde asked, touching April's hand to shake it.

"I'm Jackson's wife." April replied, with a fake smile. She knew she was being too territorial, but from the moment she spotted Shelly from across the room, seeing how badly she was insinuating herself to Jackson, she felt her blood boil. Shelly's hands were all over Jackson's body and when she started leaning closer, April couldn't take it anymore and decided to excuse herself from the conversation she was having with Catherine and her friends to go mark her territory.

"Yes, Shelly. April's my wife. I'm married." Jackson intervened once again. "And I'm actually about to become a dad, as you can see." He said, placing his hand over April's baby bump.

"Oh…wow…I didn't know about all that." Shelly stated, in a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." April said.

"Ok, good to see you, Jackson. I'm gonna go…my friends are waiting for me."

When Shelly left, Jackson turned to April with a grin on his face. "What was that all about?"

"What? She was all over you. It was very disturbing."

"And April Avery?" He asked, placing both hands behind her back, to hold her close.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, a little too self-conscious about her actions. "But I spotted her from the other side of the room and she was getting on my nerves. I needed to send her a very clear message."

"I actually like the way it sounds." He said, feeling her hands on his chest. "April Avery. I like it!"

"I might change my name from Kepner to Avery if you like it so much." She said. April was a traditional person in general and the reason why she didn't change her last name when they got married was, well...because they were trying to hide their marriage from the world. She leaned in to kiss his lips, but the thought of Shelly being all over Jackson didn't leave her mind so quickly. "So where do you know this woman from?"

"Shelly's an old friend of mine. She used to be my next door neighbor when I came here, during the summer."

"Then why is she here?"

"I don't know. She must have gotten an invitation or asked for one. She's kind of a socialite. She's the kind of person who lives to attend the hottest party in town, so…"

"Did you date her?" April asked him straight away.

"Hum, not exactly." He replied, not feeling too comfortable to talk to her about this. "We were just friends."

"By the way she was grabbing you, it sure didn't look like you were just friends."

"April, can you please just let this go? Ok?" He said, kissing her forehead, dying to change the subject. "You don't have to be jealous."

"I was not being jealous. I'm not a jealous woman, Jackson."

"Right!" He stated, with an ironic voice tone.

"I'm serious!" She insisted, tapping his chest. "I trust in you, Jackson. I have no reason to be jealous."

"I'm glad you think that way." He said, knowing that she may have been just a little bit jealous, but would never admit it. "Because I feel the same way too. Plus, I only have eyes for you."

They were about to kiss again when Jackson felt a tap on his shoulder, which made him turn his head to the side. "Jackson Avery…"

"Oh, Dr Davis." He said, letting April go, to shake the man's hand. "It's so nice to see you."

"I know. I haven't seen you in such a long time." The man stated; then he turned his attention the April. "Oh, and you must be Jackson's wife. Catherine told me about you."

"Hum, Dr Davis, this is April Kepner. April, this is Dr John Davis. He finished his residency with my mother back in the day."

"Yes, I've known Jackson since he was just a little boy. Now look at you, son." The man said, tapping Jackson's arm. "You're a family man."

"Oh and where is Evelyn?" Jackson asked, smiling.

"My wife is somewhere over there." He pointed out to a group of four women talking. "These parties are always a great place to see old friends."

"Right…"

"But tell me about you, son. Your mother told me you got married and I couldn't even believe it. It was a surprise to everybody." Dr Davis said, turning this time to April. "But with a wife like this, who wouldn't want to get married quickly? You look absolutely stunning."

April felt her cheeks blush. She wasn't used to hear other people's compliments. "Hum, thank you, Dr Davis."

"Catherine told me you were a doctor, is that right?"

"Yes, April's a trauma surgeon." Jackson replied, putting a protective arm around his wife's back.

"Think fast and act faster, right?!" The man said. "That's what trauma surgeons have to do."

"Dr Davis, would you like something to drink?" Jackson asked, politely.

"Yes. A drink would be nice."

"And you, babe, do you want me to get you anything?"

"Hum, no, thanks. But I'm gonna have to go to the bathroom. I feel like the baby is sitting on my bladder." April said, excusing herself, to make her way to the bathroom.

…

When she was about to return to the party, she turned the corner and overheard a female voice speaking loudly in the hallway. "And she's not even his type. I mean, Jackson never went out with girls like her before. I know, because we used to spend a lot of time together." She stopped and before moving forward, she took a glance and spotted Shelly and two other girls talking in circle. "She's not even that good-looking."

"I still don't know why he married her. Jackson Avery was the man who swore off serious relationships." One of the girls said, taking a sip of her drink.

"I heard they only got married because she was already knocked-up." Another one said, making April place one hand on top of her baby bump. That was completely untrue and she couldn't believe those sort of rumors were being spread around.

"She's probably just a gold digger." Shelly spoke again, with a cynical tone. "But I would totally do the same thing she did. I mean, it's Jackson Avery we're talking about."

"Wouldn't we all?" The girls laughed at this comment.

"He's rich and gorgeous." Shelly continued. "I would totally screw with him, just to get knocked up and get married."

April started feeling dizzy and so she leaned against the corridor wall. Her throat was dry and she felt like air wasn't getting to her lungs.

"Yeah, he's the epitome of money and power."

"Did you see the necklace she was carrying?" Shelly asked the other two. "She's already cashing in. I mean, I bet that was a very expensive gift. That thing is like dipped in diamonds."

"Oh, wait, I just got a text from somebody I know, who is friends with someone who works at Grey-Sloan, saying she was actually fired twice. So she's not that good of a doctor anyways." She heard one of the girls say. "And their wedding was like the scandal of the year. Apparently Catherine Avery was furious when she found out and made a scene. Apparently they didn't tell anybody and eloped."

"Oh my gosh…seriously?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, who is she anyways? April Kepner? Never heard of her before." Shelly said, in a mean tone. "She's not even from our circle. No wonder Catherine was furious…she's a nobody."

"Let's be honest, she fucked her way up to the top." When April heard this comment it was like a knife stabbed her in between the lungs. She couldn't breathe anymore. She needed to get some air. It was too much. She felt her throat close as she was about to cry.

"Somehow she married Jackson Avery. His family is filthy rich and he pretty much owns a hospital, so…"

Making one last effort to breath, April tried to pull herself together and calmly stood up. The only way to leave the space was to pass by them and she didn't want them to see her cry.

She cleaned the tears forming in her eyes and fixed her gown. Then, she finally turned the corner.

When they saw her coming, the girls froze and stared at her with a surprised look on their faces. April didn't say a word and passed by them with her eyes stuck on the floor.

"Oh my gosh, do you think she heard us?"

She heard one of the girls say from a distance. When she knew they were out of sight, she started walking as fast as she could. She needed to get some fresh air, to run and hide someplace quiet, because she was aware she was going to burst in tears soon.

Jackson was still talking to Dr Davis and his wife, when he saw April almost running outside. He sensed that something wasn't right and so he followed her.

He looked for her in the garden, desperately trying to find her, but he couldn't see her anywhere.

…

**AN: **

Hey guys,

First, I want you to picture April's dress as kind of the one Reese Witherspoon wore to the 2012 Cannes film festival. She looked absolutely beautiful and I couldn't stop thinking about it when I thought about April's dress. So, you should probably look it up online to get a better sense.

Second, I hope you can visualize the Hamptons house as one of those mansions we see on tv. Something big, very royal and beautiful.

Now, I hope you liked this chapter. Tell me what you think and review.

Please review; your opinions count and they really inspire me.

Also, thank you so much for your lovely reviews; It makes me really, really happy to read them.

Note that English is not my first language. So, any mistakes you might find, let me know.

Anyways, tell me how you feel about this chapter and what do you think is going to happen next. Poor April, I know…

Keep reading. I'll update soon.

Love, Annie.


	12. young & beautiful

Jackson looked for April outside, but he couldn't find her. He might have been mistaken, but he was sure it was her. He had no doubt in his mind it was her who he saw running outside. But where was she now?

He didn't want to make a scene, since there were people in the garden. He thought about shouting her name, but that would be completely useless, since the music was too loud and she would probably not be able to hear him.

The mansion had a big garden, with a long green piece of impeccably cut grass, a pool in the center and it was surrounded by flowers. It also had direct access to the beach, but he doubted she would go that way, since it was too dark.

Then he noticed a small gate on the right side of the house and decided to walk in.

He let out a deep breath when he saw the silhouette of a woman sitting on a swing. The space appeared to be an empty children playground and there she was, sitting on the swing, covering her face with her hands.

"April?" He approached her, still not able to see if she was crying or not. "Are you ok? Did something happen? I saw you almost running…" He got on one knee, standing in front of her. To say he was worried was to say the least. He felt clueless to what might have been the cause for her behavior. She seemed happy a few minutes ago. "Is everything ok?"

She slowly uncovered her face, sitting up straight and placing both of her hands on the chains that held the swing she was sitting on. He noticed how she was not crying, but her eyes were filled with tears. She was probably holding back, trying her best not to cry.

"I've been sitting here evaluating, processing everything and I came to the conclusion that… maybe I shouldn't have come. I just shouldn't have come." She finale said, not looking back at him. "I knew people were going to stare, I knew people were going to gossip, but still…I guess I wasn't prepared for this."

He chose not to say anything. He wanted to hear what she had to say and try to understand what happened.

"You know, sometimes…" She continued, looking up to the dark blue sky above. "…I think it's too kind of you and your mother to see me as an Avery, because maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm not an Avery and people don't even see me as one anyway, which is perfectly normal considering they think I'm a nobody. And I get that…I do. I mean, people never heard of me before, so…I guess it's normal for them not to see me as an Avery. But to be walking down the hallway and overhearing rumors about you, is pretty upsetting."

"What rumors?" He asked, trying to follow her and her thoughts; trying to understand where she was coming from with this.

"The truth is that by now I should probably be used to the rumors and the stares and the whispers, right?" She said, shrugging her shoulders and ignoring his question. "I mean, especially after the wedding and all the mess we created, but…I guess I'm never gonna get used to that." Once again, he felt his stomach drop to the floor. It was his fault; it was all his fault, because he had put her in that position. "And now, as I seat here and evaluate everything, I realize that I think I'm done. I'm done with everything"

She was done with what? With him, with this life, with the Harper Avery Foundation? He had to think for a second. "You're done…?"

"I'm done with people being mean to me." She cut him off aggressively, looking at him for the first time since he got there. However, he knew this aggression was not directed towards him. "I'm done with people making fun of me or calling me names. I'm just done! And I came to the conclusion that I can't become the victim in this whole situation. So, I'm not going to let people's stares or their comments put me down." She said, remembering Catherine's advice. "I'm a soldier and I'm going to be strong for myself and for our daughter, because I can't let a bunch of not well intended women determine the way I live my life. Not this time." She moved her hands from the swing chains to rest them of the sides of his face, before continuing. "So yeah, I'm actually glad I came here tonight and I'm glad I'm part of your family now. And the truth is I want to make your family proud of me, Jackson…because I am an Avery. I might not be good at this whole thing yet, but I will get better and I promise you, Jackson, that I will support your last name with pride."

He took one of her hands and placed it on top of his lips, softly kissing it. She should know how proud he was of her already; and how much it gave him pleasure to hear his wife call herself an Avery.

"I'm not gonna let a bunch of green eyed jealous monsters put me down and I'm most definitely not gonna let them ruin my night." She said, with a small smile of her face. "Because I'm having an amazing night."

"What happened, April?" He insisted.

"Don't worry about it." She nodded her head, dismissing the incident. "Let's go back to the party and enjoy the rest of the night, ok?"

"I can't go back without knowing what happened." He replied, frustrated with her secrecy. It was clear to him she was hiding something.

She was about to open her mouth to speak again when Jackson's phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. "It's my mom." He said, turning off the call.

"We should probably go back now." She got up from the swing and held his hand, making the way back to the house.

…

Catherine Avery was holding her phone in her hand, completely angry at her son. He should know how to be more responsible by now and this was not the time to vanish from the face of the earth. First, he disappeared; then, he wasn't answering his phone; and now she was mad, very mad at him.

She decided to see if he was out in the garden, when she saw the pair coming from the corner. "Jackson, here you are. I've been looking all over the place for you."

"Why?"

"It's time for your speech." She informed him. "You have to go."

"But…?"

"Now!" She demanded, almost dragging him inside by the arm.

"Are you going to be fine?" Jackson turned to his wife. She nodded and he saw no other choice but to let go of her hand.

April started to make her way inside behind Jackson when she felt someone bump into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Shelly apologized, turning around to leave, not looking at April properly.

"It's ok." April said. Then, in a second, she realized it was not ok. It was not ok that that woman and her friends talked about her in such a nasty way; it was not ok the things they said; and it was not ok letting it go by pretending she didn't know about it. She took a deep breath, before grabbing Shelly's arm to make her stop. "Actually, I want to talk to you, Shelly. It's Shelly, right?"

"Hum, yes." Shelly replied, visibly not comfortable with her approach.

"I just need to set some rumors straight." April said, gaining the strength she needed to defend herself in the most elegant way. "Now, I don't know what kind of girl you are, nor do I want to find out and I'm honestly not judging you, because it's not in my character to judge people based on first impressions, but let me tell you something, Shelly. You are actually deeply mistaken, because unlike some women – and I'm not saying that that's your case – I don't need to fuck my way up to the top." When April used those words, she felt Shelly tense up; she saw how her whole body froze and the expression on Shelly's face was an evidence of how mortified she was.

April felt a rush of adrenaline running through her body. She was determined to let it all out; to let Shelly know she wasn't dumb; to let her know she heard every word they said; to let her know her know she was stronger than that. "And unlike some women, I'm not a gold digger. I have no need to be one. And I'm not shallow to the point of loving someone because of his looks, or money, or power, or last name. I love my husband. I love him for everything he is. I love him, because he's loving and kind, and funny and supportive of me. He has an amazing personality and his character goes beyond his good looks. And he makes me feel so loved every day…I couldn't have asked God for a better man."

She could see Shelly's cheeks turn bright red. She knew that if the woman in front of her could, she would dig a whole and hide in it.

"And I feel sorry for you, Shelly." April continued, with a pitying tone. "I really do, because the kind of love Jackson and I share for one another is something you obviously know nothing about and that is so sad."

"But…"

"So…" April cut her off, not caring at all for her excuses. "…I really hope no more rumors get spread around by that pretty little mouth of yours."

With that said, April smiled and turned to leave. However, one more thought came to her mind and she couldn't contain herself. So, she turned around to face Shelly one more time. "Oh and you should really rethink your actions. Don't just go offering sex to the first man you see at a party. Especially when he's married. Have some class."

Sometimes it takes courage to say what you need to say; sometimes you need to be brave for yourself; and sometimes, when you dare yourself to be braver, it all pays off, because the feeling of satisfaction of not letting someone step on you is something that cannot be replaced.

…

Meanwhile, Jackson stepped on stage, with a mike on his hand. He looked at the crowd gathered in front of him, but one face was missing: his wife's. He thought she was walking right behind him, but he was wrong. Something serious happened and she insisted on not telling him. He tried not to stress over it, but not seeing her in the crowd, made him worry again. He couldn't even step out of the stage now. All he could do was deliver the speech as fast as possible and get it through quickly.

"Hello. I'm Dr Jackson Avery and I want to welcome you all to the annual Harper Avery Foundation fund raiser." He said, trying unsuccessfully to clear his head, when all he had in mind was her. "The Harper Avery Foundation is…"

And then he saw her walk in. Her smile was more radiant than ever and, somehow, he felt more at ease.

"You know what? I had a speech prepared, but my mother always taught me that in order to deliver a good speech, one must speak from the heart and that's what I'm going to do." He said, smiling back at his wife. "I'm sure all of you noticed my date tonight. I mean, how could you not? She's the most beautiful woman in the room. No offense, but she really is." Lifting up his hand, he pointed out to her. "That, ladies and gentleman, is my wife, Dr April Kepner."

Every head in the room turned around to April and Jackson could actually see the surprised look on her face and the radiant smile from a few seconds ago transform to a shy one. Her cheeks turned red and he knew how embarrassed she was feeling. Nevertheless, she gracefully waived at them.

"Now, what most of you don't know is that April and I met when we were still interns at the Mercy West Hospital, back in Seattle. We were friends for a while, but I guess you can't fight destiny and…we were meant to be." He continued, never leaving her eyes. "We got married a few months ago and I know that that might have come as a surprise to a lot of you…especially because none of you got an invitation to the wedding. I know most of you must have been waiting for one for quite some time…I mean considering the kind of parties my mother throws, many of you can guess the type of party our wedding would have been." As the crowd laughed, he looked at his mother. She seemed very amused with his comment, probably aware that he was not far away from the truth. Jackson knew that if she had gotten her hands in the wedding planning, she would've turned the party in the wedding of the year.

"Sorry about that…" He went on with his speech. "…but we got caught up in the moment and we got married rather quickly. But the truth is and quoting Dr Davis over there 'With a wife like this, who wouldn't want to get married quickly?' Dr Davis, you couldn't be more right." The guests laughed again in unison.

"But April is not just my wife, she's also the mother of my child. Yes, we're having a baby…as you can probably tell." Since he heard April talk about some rumors when he found her a few minutes ago, of course he wanted to set the record straight. So, he decided to do it lightly. He didn't want any more gossip surrounding them. He figured it was for the best to mix his speech with a little bit of fun. "And you should all give it up to my wife, because she's six months pregnant and still able to look just as stunning as she does."

Jackson moved his eyes back to April, who seemed comfortable with his approach to the situation now. She, almost telepathically, understood what he was doing. April knew that introducing her as a member of the family in a more official way was something he needed to do.

"My wife and the baby she's carrying are part of my family now. And I've learned that the most important thing in life is family and the ones we love." He continued, this time looking at the crowd gathered in front of him. "Now, here is where the Harper Avery Foundation plays an important role in our society. We fund researches, hospitals and doctors who want nothing more than to provide hope for patients in need and hope for families who see their loved ones suffering because of some disease. This is what we do and many of us here tonight, as doctors, chose to dedicate our lives to helping people, to giving them a better quality of life. Which is why your donations are so important, because with them, the Harper Avery Foundation is able to find the resources to help doctors perform miracles every day. With your help, we can contribute to the advance of medicine and by doing that…we give our contribution to a better world every day."

April had always admired the way he behaved in public, and this was no exception. He had the gift of turning something funny into something more serious in the blink of an eye and she could tell that the crowd was stuck on his words and engaged on his speech.

"So thank you for your presence here tonight and I hope you can enjoy the rest of the evening. Thank you." He finished, with a round of applause.

Catherine took a place next to him on stage, to give a few last words to her guest, before letting the band take their place.

Once he stepped out of the stage, April met him with a huge grin on her face. "That was so good, honey."

"You think?"

"I do. You did great."

"Well, that was not what I had prepared, but…"

"You couldn't have done a better job." She reaffirmed, resting one hand on his face.

"But where were you?" He asked. "I mean, I thought you were right behind me, but when I got on stage I couldn't see you anywhere. I got worried."

"Well, I was just chatting with some people." She said, not wanting to bring the issue up. "Don't worry, ok?"

"How am I not supposed to worry? You were so upset, talking about what you heard on the hallway…"

"Jackson…"

"No, I'm not gonna stop worrying until you tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened." She replied. He was insisting on this, but she just wanted to let it go. She had already taken care of things and there was no need to make a big deal out of it.

"You're lying to me. Why are you lying to me?"

She looked at him and grabbed his hand. "Come with me." She said, leading the way back to the garden.

This time, she led him into a more distant place, by the end of the garden, since she didn't want anyone to hear what she was about to say.

They were surrounded by beds of roses, placed perfectly on the ground; in front of them, was the beach and the ocean, since the house had direct access to the shore; their figures were illuminated by the lights of the party, behind them; and they could hear the first chords of the song the live band was starting to play in the distance.

"Why are we here?" Jackson asked.

"I just want you to know that… I love you." April said, cupping his face with her hands. "And that I'm never gonna let anything or anyone come in between us. We're gonna have our struggles and people will get in the way and things won't be ease sometimes." Jackson was looking back at her, not satisfied with her answer, but she was determined to move on. So, she continued. "But who cares about people, right? They're just people. They don't have what we have and what we have is so special, Jackson. Heck, we had to fight against the whole world to be together. What are people or their opinions compared to that?"

"April…"

"But from now on I'm not gonna care about them, because what really matters is me and you." She cut him off, moving her hands from his face to the back of his neck. "Actually, me, you and our little blueberry."

He placed his hands on her back, while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jackson couldn't help but to smile at the thought of the three of them together, as a family.

"So, if you trust in me, you will stop asking about what happened." She continued, looking at his piercing green eyes. "You don't have to be my knight in shining armor every time. I'm not always a damsel in distress, you know."

"Oh really?" He asked, almost in a tease. He knew she was not a damsel in distress at all, but he liked to take the part of her savior. He had made the promise to himself of protecting her since it felt like she was the only friend he had left. But now she was so much more than just a friend; she was the one he loved and when you love someone, you do anything not to see them hurt and you fight with whoever tries to wound them.

"Yes." She replied, with a cocky tone.

"What if I want to be your knight in shining armor?"

"Well, then we're gonna have to figure something out." She said, smiling, before leaning in to kiss his lips. "I'm fine, Jackson. I really am."

"If you say so, then I'll let it go." He said, finally giving up his fight.

"Thank you."

"As long as you're ok."

Then, Jackson took April's right hand from behind his neck with his left hand, gently grasping it. He moved his right hand to her left hip side, while April, instinctively, rested her left arm on his shoulder.

The music was coming in soft waves from inside and gradually they started moving to the sound of a beautiful slow song. It was something that simply happened; they didn't even have to think about it; it was like their bodies chose to glue like magnets and they could do nothing about it.

April looked into Jackson's eyes and smiled. Her platform sandals made her seem a little bit taller and with the height, she could be face to face with her husband. She kissed his lips once more, before leaning in to rest her face against his.

She could feel the air suddenly change; it was like the whole environment around them turned into something electrifying and, for a moment, they just stood there without talking, without thinking about anything else, without caring about others…all they did was move together, gently, calmly, tasting every second of their intimacy. April closed her eyes, letting her soul wander and all of her emotion take over her.

Jackson could feel the sweet smile on her lips against his cheek and the warmth of her body fill his. It was like they were somehow connected by a current of non-stopping energy that kept rushing through his whole figure, almost making him shiver.

"Jackson…" She whispered in his ear.

"What?"

"Are we dancing?"

"I think we are." He replied, in a low amused tone. Then, he opened up his eyes and looked over across the garden. "And people are staring at us."

"Let them stare." She said, with a confident voice. She didn't care anymore if people stared. Actually, she wanted them to stare. She wanted them to see how happy they were, how well they fitted together, how badly their desire for one another was.

The live band changed the tune and now the first chords of a familiar song surrounded the air.

.

_"I've seen the world,_

_Done it all, had my cake now_

_Diamonds, brilliant and Bel-Air now."_

_._

Those lyrics couldn't fit Jackson's experience better. It made him think about how he had been everywhere, seen everything and done it all. He used to think that life couldn't get any better, but he was wrong and now he knew why, because nothing could compare to the moment he was having right now.

"You know, being here tonight is bringing back so many memories of the life I had before you. I've been a privileged kid all my life. I got to travel the world, see all these exotic places and experience all these different cultures. I got to attend parties pretty much everywhere; the most amazing parties. And I got to meet very important people. I've honestly done it all." He said, against her ear. "But now, looking back, none of that mattered, April, because I didn't have you; because I didn't get to share those adventures with you. And I regret it, because I wish I could have seen how special you are sooner and realized how much I love you sooner; Damn, I even wish we had met sooner."

"Everything happens for a reason, Jackson." She replied, getting as close to his body as she could. They were still swaying to the music, never leaving each other's arms. "Perhaps God had a bigger plan for ourselves, than we did. And maybe things turned out to be different from what we expected them to be, but I believe God has a mysterious way of working things out. And the truth is it all ended well."

"But still…looking back at everything, at my whole life, I wish I had done it all with you. Lived it all with you." He continued, taking a deep breath. He could smell the light and sophisticated scent of her perfume. It made him wish he could crave his lips on her neck, to devour the sweet aroma of her skin.

She smiled, feeling her heart warm up with his statement. To know he wished he had done everything with her by his side made her feel a tremendous joy inside. "We're together, that's all that matters."

.

_"Hot summer days, rock and roll_

_They way you'd play for me at your show_

_And all the ways I got to know_

_Your pretty face and electric soul"_

_._

"What's going through your mind right now?" He asked, when she didn't say anything else.

"I'm just thinking about how we never got the chance to have our first dance." She replied, letting him lead her through the song. "How this is really the first time we're dancing together."

"I know." He regretted not giving her the wedding of her dreams, the one she had planned all along, the one she would have gotten with Matthew. But in some way she did get the wedding of her dreams. They got married in Lake Tahoe, in a field, surrounded by wildflowers and butterflies, just like she always wanted. Their wedding was simple, but romantic; it was all about the two of them and the love they had for each other.

While they danced, April felt like the whole world disappeared, like they were the only two people on the face of the Earth. It felt too good to be in his arms, to feel his body so close, to feel his hand resting around her back, to let him guide her slowly. This was their first dance together, but surely not the last one. She knew she could never recreate a moment as spontaneous as this, but they had the rest of their lives to fall into each other's arms and just sway together.

.

_"Dear Lord, when I get to heaven_

_Please let me bring my man_

_When he comes tell me that you'll let him in_

_Father tell me if you can."_

_._

They were very different and religion proved to be an issue for them. She believed in God with all her heart; she put all her faith in Him; she didn't doubt His existence for a second; she knew He was always with her. But Jackson didn't feel that way. He didn't have the same faith as she did; he didn't believe in God and he didn't have the ability to rely in what he couldn't see or touch. To April, faith was something you can't see or touch, but something you can feel. She didn't need prove of God's existence. She simple knew He was real.

She remembered what she told Catherine the day she confronted them about their sudden decision to get married. 'We did something that wasn't responsible, but we did it because we love each other and we want to spend every day together until we die'. She remembered clearly the words she used. But she lied. She didn't just want to spend every day with Jackson until their death. No, she wanted more. The thought of eventually going to Heaven and not having him there, because of his lack of faith, was something unbearable. Spending eternity away from him was a thought she found intolerable. She didn't want to just spend every day together with him on this Earth. No, she wanted to be with him in God's paradise for all eternity. And so, she was willing to ask God to let him in, despite his beliefs or his faith. She never felt this kind of love before. This silly, reckless, sometimes troubled and inconvenient, consuming and uncontrollable kind of love. She loved him so much that she prayed every night, requesting God's forgiveness over her husband's lack of faith, his sins and misconducts, pleading God to let her bring him to the afterlife, almost begging for his soul. To her, even all the days on Earth wouldn't be enough. She wanted to be with him forever and ever more.

.

_"Oh that grace, oh that body_

_Oh that face makes me wanna party_

_He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds_

_Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?_

_Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?_

_I know you will."_

_._

She wondered about their future a lot, trying to imagine how things would be like. Especially after finding out she was pregnant. She tried to picture their baby's face, the color of her eyes, the way she spoke and if she was going to inherit traces of Jackson's personality or hers. She wondered what kind of couple they would be when the kids arrived. If they were going to be able to manage them and their relationship at the same without falling apart. If they were going to be able put their differences aside and raise their children in a harmonious way. Many times she fell asleep with these questions in mind. However, she never asked him what he thought about it.

"Jackson…" she mumbled, after a quiet time of simply feeling each other's presence.

"Yes?"

"Can you picture us in a few years?"

"I do." He said, with a decisive tone. It was almost as if he could read her mind, having prepared his answer. "I picture us together, happy, with a big family, with like…four kids."

"Four kids?"

"Yeah."

"We don't even have one yet and you already want four?"

"Well, I like the thought of having a large family." He continued, closing his eyes to let the picture come to form in his head. "Ok, I can see us taking them to Disneyland and me teaching our son how to play football."

"We're gonna have a son?"

"We are. The next one will be a boy."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know…I just feel it." He replied. "And I can picture myself buying our kids a bunch of Christmas presents and you screaming at me, saying I spoil them too much. But you'll eventually come around, after seeing their thrilled faces on Christmas morning, tearing up the wrapping paper with all the strength they've got. Then, you'll be serving us hot chocolate by the Christmas tree, looking beautiful in your red Rudolph pajamas."

"How do you know I have Rudolph pajamas?"

"We lived together before, April. Remember?" He said, making a point. "Anyways, of course we're gonna be there for every first day of school, for every ballet recital or little league game. And I'm gonna be cheering them like a crazy dad, but that's ok. I don't mind becoming the crazy dad kids get embarrassed about." That comment made April let out a giggle. "Oh the kids are gonna love the hospital too. I can see them running down the hospital halls, asking questions and being curious about medicine. I can totally see Karev pretending to find them annoying, but secretly loving them and finding them adorable."

April could see a clear vision of his description in her head. "Go on…"

"And I can see myself chasing away every boy who tries to come near our girls. The girls are gonna hate me, but it's my duty to protect them and that's what I'm going to do…with no shame!" He continued, imagining how gorgeous their daughters will be. "I can see myself fearing Prom night, but you are going to be there, calming me down, telling me how we raised out babies right, how they know better. And by then I'm probably gonna be thanking God and every bible study for teaching them the importance of non-premarital sex."

"Oh, Jackson…"

"I just can see them growing strong, healthy and happy. Just being awesome kids every day."

"I like that." She said, pleased with the whole image.

"As for us…" He went on, stopping their slow dance and looking deeply into her eyes. "I can picture us growing old together. Making it through life, fighting against every adversity together. Supporting one another and making each other stronger, even when life gets tough. Because as long as we're together, we'll grow stronger every day. Of course, we're gonna bicker about every little silly thing and get on each other's nerves a lot, but…I'm still gonna love you even when you get grumpy. I promise you I'm going to fight for us every day and I'm never letting you go. You're stuck with me for life." He noticed how April had tears in her eyes. Seeing her like that, made him feel emotional too. "Look how far we've come, baby. We beat all the odds and now we just have to keep holding on to our love." She smiled, when he instinctively tucked her hair behind her ear, even though her hair was pulled up in an up-do. It was a habit he had created. "You're my best friend, my lover, the person who always stands by me, especially when everything seems crazy…you're always there for me. I don't even know where I would be without you…you're always the one with the right words to say. Life doesn't make any sense without you. And I just keep falling for you every day, all over again, and I will always will…every time I look at you. It's like I can never get enough of you. April, you're the love of my life."

April felt her heart bursting with joy; it almost seemed it was about to explode. She didn't know what to say after this declaration of his love. She was overwhelmed by his words. There was nothing left to be said. So, she moved her hands to cup his face. Then, she tenderly kissed his lips.

He grabbed her and held her tightly, deepening the kiss. He wanted her so much in that moment, he wished they could just disappear, so he could make love to her…make love with her.

Then, suddenly a loud noise was heard. It almost seemed like a bomb. And it was in some way. A bomb of colors, shaping the dark night sky with festive figures.

April turned around and looked up to the sky above them, as more and more people filled the garden, looking up as well.

"Fireworks?" She asked, completely surprised.

"Guess my mom really made an effort this year." He replied, moving his body to hold her from behind, letting his hands rest on her belly bump.

"This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen." She said, smiling, intertwining her fingers in his.

He could see the fascination in her eyes; she looked like a little kid watching her favorite show. He placed his head on top of her head, leaving a sweet kiss in it. "April…?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

"I am." She confessed. "You have no idea how happy I am right now."

Jackson then thought to himself that her happiness was all that mattered and if she was happy, he was happy too.

He remembered a quote he read a few years ago that said 'when someone else's happiness is your happiness, that is love'. He didn't understand how that could be, but now he knew. That feeling wasn't strange to him anymore. Whoever said that couldn't be more right. It was love. True love.

…

**AN:**

Hello guys,

First of all I want to thank each and everyone of you for all your amazing reviews. I didn't have a clue that the last chapter would have such a positive impact. I'm so grateful. Thank you so much for taking your time to review and tell me what you think. Thank you!

So, I hope you liked the way things were handled between Shelly and April. I received a private message about the last chapter and it was such an inspiring message. Thank you, dear reader, who sent it to me! I hope you understood the reference in April's speech and I hope you're glad with the way it all ended. :)

Please, whenever you want to send me your opinions, do so. I'm always open to take them into consideration.

Now, tell me what you think about this chapter. Maybe things got settled in a different way than you expected, but April's a strong, classy woman. She found the strength in herself to fix things in the most graceful way (I think!).

Anyways, don't forget to leave a review. They mean the world to me; reading your messages makes my heart glow with joy.

I know that this chapter was over romantic and their words a little bit of a cliché. But sometimes all we need in our lives is a little bit of romance. Romance is always good for the soul.

Oh, almost forgot to mention this: the song playing while they're dancing is 'Young & Beautiful', by Lana del Rey.

Note that English is not my first language, so if you find any mistakes let me know.

Ok, stay tuned and leave a review.

I'll update soon.

Love, Annie


	13. to build a home

Jackson woke up with the sound of his phone ringing on the nightstand next to him. It was a little past 11 PM and he and his wife were already in bed, sleeping. The day was exhausting for the both of them and when he noticed how April was falling asleep on the couch, watching TV, he decided it was time to go to bed.

Now, turning to his side, he saw his wife sleeping. He didn't want to wake her up, so, carefully, he started moving to the edge of the bed, removing the bed sheet that covered his body. He took the phone in his hands and looked at the caller ID. "Shit!" He thought to himself. Then, he got up from the bed, making his way to the living room to answer the call.

April woke up with the loud noise and watched him leaving her all alone in bed, moving as fast as he could to take the call in another room.

Getting up as well, she decided to stand by the door, trying to overhear the conversation.

"No, it's fine. No problem." She heard him say, almost in a whisper. "Well, tomorrow I leave work at five and then we can meet to..."

He had been having these kind of mysterious phone calls for the past two weeks and she was starting to find his behavior a little weird: how he always told her he had to work late, how the meetings at the hospital went for too long, how work kept him so busy. She believed him, until the other day, when she was getting home from work and saw him joyfully talking to a tall, very well dressed, attractive brunette in front of their apartment building. She decided not to confront him with what she saw, because perhaps was just a friendly neighbor being nice. However, she saw him with that woman twice. The second time, the woman was leaving his office, at the hospital. And now, she was very suspicious.

"If you don't have any plans next Saturday, then…" April continued listening to the conversation. "Ok, next Saturday seems great to me."

She trusted Jackson; that was not the problem. She just knew he was hiding something from her and she hated the feeling of being in the dark.

"I can't wait. My wife can't know about this though." He said. "Ok. Bye, Rachel."

Rachel. Now she had no doubt in her mind he was talking to the same woman she saw him with twice. Her name was Rachel. They didn't know any Rachels. She wasn't from their group of friends. And what kind of person bothers the other with a phone call in the middle of the night? And he said 'I can't wait'. For what? And Saturday? Did he just make plans with a woman on a Saturday? Plans she couldn't know about?

Sensing he was returning to the bedroom, she almost jumped into bed again. When he lied next to her, she turned to the side. Pretending to be sleepy, she asked, with a drowsy tone. "Who was that?"

"What? The phone call?" He replied, snuggling with her body. "That was nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, it was just work. Forget about it."

"Work this late at night?" She asked once again.

"Yeah, go figure!" He said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

April knew he was trying to dismiss the issue and she wasn't going to confront him right now. She needed to know who this Rachel was and what was going on, but right now was not the time. So, she turned her back to his body, letting him come closer to her.

With his arms tightly closed around her baby bump, he kissed her cheek and said. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get some sleep."

However, she couldn't sleep at all. Something was up and she needed to find out what it was.

…

The next day, Jackson was in surgery when he saw April coming into the OR, holding a mask in front of her face.

"Hey!" She greeted him.

"Hey." He replied. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing…" She said. "I was just wondering what time do you leave work today?"

She wouldn't say she was testing him, because of the conversation she heard him have the night before. But the truth was maybe she was.

"Why?" He asked, not looking at her.

"Hum, I want to take you to the baby store I told you about the other day." She replied, trying to sound as natural as possible. "Jackson, we really need to figure out what we're going to do with the baby's nursery. First of all, we need to figure out where we're gonna put it, since the apartment is so small."

"I know…"

"I mean it, Jackson. I'm entering my 3rd trimester. We need to…"

"I know, April. I know." He cut her off. She was 27 weeks pregnant and he knew there were a lot of things they needed to plan. Somehow time passed by faster than they expected and now he knew they couldn't wait any longer.

"So…What time do you leave work today?" She asked again, almost impatient.

"Hum, I can't today." He replied, still not looking at her. "I have…work…a meeting. So…"

"A meeting?" She caught him in his lie, but decided to play along. "You have yet another meeting? You seem to be working a lot lately… more than usual." She stated.

When he heard those words, he felt his heart stop for a minute. He didn't like to lie to her, but this was a secret he had to keep, at least for now. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." She continued. "It's just a little unusual…that's all."

"It's not unusual. It's just work." Jackson said, trying to dismiss her argument. "But we can go to the store tomorrow or…"

"You know what? Never mind." She said, started to feel a little too infuriated with the whole situation.

"No, April…"

"We'll talk about it later." She said, leaving the room.

…

Later that day, April was having lunch with Arizona. She decided to tell someone what was going through her mind.

"I just don't know what's happening. His behavior has been a little too odd and it's driving me crazy."

"But what makes you think his behavior has changed?" Arizona asked.

"I don't know, he's been acting too…too secretive. I can feel something's not right." April stated. "And then there's this woman I saw him with…"

"Uuh…maybe he's having an affair?" Arizona said, in a playful tone.

"An affair? What?" April almost jumped from her seat. "No! Jackson would never…I mean, I think that he would never… Do you think that's possible?"

Arizona looked at her friend's serious face, immediately knowing she shouldn't have said that. "April, I'm joking!"

"I mean…I know I'm all swollen, and big and I feel like cellulite is taking over my butt and that the woman I saw him with is very attractive, but our sex life is just as great as always." April continued, almost rambling. "There's no reason for him to be having an affair. Plus, he never complained about sex before. Trust me, we pretty much hit it like…" And then, suddenly, she stopped. Her face turned red as she led one hand to cover her mouth. She wasn't the person who talked about their sex life in public, but the comment slipped from her lips without her noticing it. "Oh my gosh, forget what I just said."

Arizona smiled, knowing exactly what April was thinking and how embarrassed she must have been feeling. "April, don't let your crazy hormonal pregnant lady thoughts get to you." She said, trying to ease her friend's worries. "Avery's not having an affair. Forget I even said anything. Ok? The man's crazy about you."

April shook her head, almost as if trying to shake way the thoughts haunting her mind. Arizona's words kept echoing in the back of her head. It could not be true. He could not be having an affair. What was the point on that? Why would he do something like that? She couldn't find a reason why. "Ok, but then why is he acting so weird lately?"

"I don't know…why don't you just ask him?" Arizona said. "Just talk to him. See what he has to say. Maybe it's all in your head anyways."

Maybe it was.

…

It was a little past 6 PM when she heard the front door slam and his voice shout out. "Hey, babe! I'm home."

She was lying on the couch, watching something boring on TV, but she wasn't even paying attention; her mind was somewhere else.

She stood up and met him halfway. "Hey."

"How was your day?" He asked, after placing a soft kiss on top of her head. Then, he turned around, putting his bag and phone on top of the kitchen counter.

"It was alright." She replied. "Yours?"

"Eh, it was pretty normal…" He said, turning around to face her again. "I'm tired, though."

"Are you?" She said, letting him wrap his arms around her body. Then, almost unconsciously, she grabbed him by his shirt, and placed her nose against his chest. She felt ridiculous; she was actually smelling him, looking for a trace of another woman's perfume; she knew what she was doing was wrong; but she couldn't help it. Pulling her body as close to his as she could, she leaned in, holding her hands around his waist. Nothing. She couldn't find another smell other than the scent of his own cologne.

"April, is everything ok?" He asked, noticing how hard she was clinging to his body.

"Hum, yeah. I just missed you today. That's all." She replied, hiding her odd behavior with a simple excuse.

"I missed you too." He said. "Well, I'm gonna take a shower now and then we can grab something to eat" He continued, making his way into the bathroom. "I cook. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me." April replied. She felt guilty and maybe a little bit childish, but Arizona's comments messed up with her head. She knew he met with a woman named Rachel; she knew he lied to her about working late; and she knew he had been acting like that for the past two weeks.

Once he was out of sight, she sat on one of the chairs near the kitchen counter top. She felt exhausted, as the pregnancy was starting to take its toll on her body, and the feeling of uncertainty she was feeling with this whole situation was making everything worse.

Then she saw it: his phone. It was placed right next to her. She wanted to find out who Rachel was; she wanted to know what was going on; she needed to know for her own sake. It would only take one peek at his phone and she would find out; she just needed to go through his text messages or emails to know; she just needed to know. The whole thing was driving herself crazy and it was so easy to grab his phone and figure it out.

But no. She was not that kind of woman. She was not the kind of person who would go through other people's personal stuff. Her craziness was turning her into something she didn't like. She was not that person. So, she fought her urge to pick up his phone and snoop. She needed to trust him and she did.

So, she got up from the chair and walked back to the couch.

…

Friday came around. April went grocery shopping and then headed home after work to find that Jackson was already there.

"Oh…Hey, you're home." He was sitting by the kitchen counter, working on his computer.

April noticed how he abruptly shut down the computer when she walked in. "What's wrong?"

"What?" He asked, turning around to meet her.

"Why did you shut your computer when I walked in?"

"I didn't…" He replied, noticing the bags she was carrying. "You went grocery shopping and didn't tell me. You should've told me. I could have helped you with the bags…"

"No, don't do that. Don't change the subject." She said, with a firm voice tone. She had had enough. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing…" He insisted, taking the bags from her hands and placing them on the kitchen table. "Why are you being so suspicious?"

"Do I have reasons to be suspicious?" She asked, in a defiant tone.

"Hum, no…"

"Then why have you been acting so weird lately?"

"Weird? I'm not weird."

"Oh really?" April could see the discomfort in his words. She wasn't going to back down now. She had had enough and it was time to confront him. "Oh, ok…then why all the secret phone calls and the secret meetings with a woman…yes, Jackson, I saw you with the same woman twice."

"What? No..."

"And why did you take the afternoon off the other day and why did I have to find out that you weren't in the hospital from other people?" She almost shouted at him. "And who is Rachel?"

"How…?"

"I keep listening to you talking on the phone with her and I just know that she and you are…"

"What are you implying exactly?" He cut her off, raising his voice as well. "Do you really think I'm the kind of man who cheats on his own pregnant wife? Is that what you really think of me?"

Then she saw the hurt in his eyes. "God, no!" She said. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what is it, April?" He asked her, his whole face transformed into some form of anger. "Don't you trust me?"

"Jackson…" She said, rolling her eyes. She felt like she just turned the argument against her. "I'm sorry if I offended you, but…c'mon…you've been very sneaky lately. Leaving early to work, when I know for a fact that that you're not at work; leaving in the middle of the afternoon without warning me; and the phone calls with this Rachel…"

"You know what?" He said, giving up his fight and taking the car keys with him as he walked to the front door. "Let's go!"

"What?" She asked, completely clueless.

"Let's go."

"Where?" He was already out of the door, so she found no other way than to follow him. "Jackson…"

…

They've been driving in silence for the last 15 minutes. "You're seriously not talking to me?" April asked. He didn't reply. Looking around she noticed how they entered a very clean and well-presented residential neighborhood. "Why are we here?"

"Why can't you just hold on for a moment? He asked, obviously still mad at her.

"Look, I'm sorry, Jackson. It's just that…I don't know."

"Of course you don't know." He said. "But your compulsive behavior has got to stop."

"My compulsive behavior? Hold on…I'm not compulsive."

"Right! Remember how this started?" He said, moving a finger between him and her, making a reference about the beginning of their relationship. "And how could you think I was having an affair, April? No…seriously, how?"

"Jackson…"

"Even just the thought of me having an affair with another woman makes me sick to my stomach. Like, what the hell went through your mind?"

"I didn't think that…I didn't." She was partially lying. That though went through her mind, but she dismissed it. There was no way and she knew it. "I guess I just felt insecure."

"For the last time, April. I don't care about other woman." He said, visibly angry at her. "How many times do I have to tell you that? I married you, I want you…Damn it, April."

"Ok, I'm sorry." She apologized, completely ashamed of her conduct and her suspicions.

Then, she noticed how he randomly stopped the car, parking it near the sidewalk. She saw how he turned off the engine and opened the door of the vehicle to leave. She followed him and did the same thing.

"All I wanted to do was make you a surprise." He said, taking her hands, to place her in front of him. "I had everything planned out. I was going to bring you here tomorrow, but of course you had to blow everything up."

"I'm not understanding." She said, being totally truthful.

"Remember how a couple of weeks ago you mentioned you wanted to start building the nursery for the baby?" She nodded, still not comprehending. "Ok, well…I spent the past two weeks searching for a bigger place, since our apartment is small and I can't really see our family growing in there." He looked at her, determined to explain everything. "So, I spent the past two weeks house hunting…for us."

"Wh-What?" April stuttered.

"I saw a bunch of places, until I found this one…" He said, making her turn around to face the beautiful building behind her. "The first time I entered this place, I just knew it…I mean, this is our taste and I could picture us living in there and…" He continued, noticing how April's mouth was wide open, in surprise. "…I was going to bring you here tomorrow, because I wanted you to see it. I knew you were going to love it, but I wanted to bring you here first."

"You were going to buy a house?" She asked, completely astonished. Not in her wildest dreams she would have thought he would do something like that.

"I was going to buy us a house." He said, putting an emphasis on the 'us'. "That's the other reason why I waited to buy it, 'cause I want you to sign the papers too. This is going to be our house…it's not mine, it's ours. I want it to be in your name too."

"Jackson, I don't even know what to say…" She was overwhelmed by everything. And the fact that he was actually considering making her sign the papers too meant the world to her. She was never a materialistic person, but the thought of that house being theirs, made her feel so warm inside.

"That's why you caught me on the phone with Rachel so many times."

"Rachel?" She asked, forgetting about this woman for a second.

"Yes, Rachel's the real estate agent I've been working with. She has been helping me with the surprise and…"

"She's just the real estate agent?" She noted, mortified with her actions now. She was just the estate agent…nothing more.

"Yes, she's the real estate agent…I was going to bring you here tomorrow and you were going to meet her; she was going to give you a tour of the house."

"So you were really going to buy us a house?" She asked again, still not believing her ears.

"Yeah…of course you were going to give your opinion first, but…" Jackson placed himself in front of her again, taking her hands in his. "I just want us to have a home…a real home. A place where we can grow together, as a family; a place where we can raise our kids and make memories in."

"Jackson…" She said, placing one hand on his cheek, feeling a little too touched not to tear up.

"April, you've got to see the inside of this house. It's perfect." He continued, forgetting how mad he was with her just a few minutes ago. "Rachel took me here the other day and when she was giving the tour, I could not stop picturing us there. I could see our kids watching TV in the leaving room; I could picture us having breakfast around the kitchen island; I could see you cooking against the stove. And the backyard…April, we have a huge backyard, where our kids can run around without a care in the world; we can even put a basketball net and I can teach them how to play…" She saw the enthusiasm in his eyes, the way he was speaking. It made her love him even more. She knew how he couldn't wait to have a family and how badly he wanted a house full of kids. "And the master suit is so amazing. We can even have separate closets, which is kind of perfect, because that way you can't complain about my shoes or the space they take. We won't have to fight for space anymore."

"You really thought about everything, didn't you?" She said, smiling.

"I did." He replied. "That's why I was being so sneaky. I wanted to make you a surprise. I'm sorry if I didn't involve you in the process, but…I just wanted to surprise you and when I saw this place." He said, pointing to the house. "I just knew it was the right place."

"Oh, no. You don't have to be sorry for anything, Jackson. I love it." She said, cupping his face, before kissing his lips.

"You love it?" He asked.

"I do!" she replied. "I'm sorry for ruining your surprise."

"It's ok." He said, reaching for his pocket. "You know what? I'm gonna call Rachel. I know it's kind of late, but maybe she can come here and bring the keys. Maybe I can show you the place today."

"That'd be amazing." She said, grabbing his hand, before he made the call, making him look at her. "Jackson, thank you…for everything."

"You're welcome, babe." He replied, smiling back at her, before turning around to dial the real estate agent's number.

Even though she still hadn't seen the inside of the house, April already knew this was it. This was their house…their home.

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

Short chapter, I know. But this, I have to confess, was kind of rushed. Anyways, let me know what you think of it and review.

I'm so grateful for all the amazing reviews you guys sent. They've made me smile so much. Thank you so much for taking your time to review. I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I poured my heart and soul into it.

So, I kind of have bad news for you guys. I'm leaving for vacation next week and I'm only gonna be back in August, which means I won't have the time to update until then. As you noticed, I try to publish a new chapter every two to three days. I do it because, as a reader myself, I hate it when writers don't update soon enough or abandon their stories for a long time. So, I try to update as soon as I can write something. Anyways, I'm gonna try to write one more chapter before I leave (maybe two…we'll see how inspiration comes!). I'm so sorry to leave you without updates, but I won't have a connection to the internet or to my computer. Sorry!

But I would like to know how you guys would feel if I started a new fanfic (obviously after I've finished this one) with a young April and Jackson? A fanfic inspired by the last two chapters and their summer in the Hamptons? Would you read something like that? Let me know how you feel about that.

Well, this is getting really long.

Leave a review with your thoughts.

I'll (try to) update soon.

Love,

Annie

PS: English's not my 1st language. Any mistakes you find, let me know.


	14. on the move

Jackson spotted Alex entering the elevator and quickly ran after him, placing one hand between the elevator doors, to make it stop. "Hey, Karev…I need to talk to you."

"Can you do that later?" Alex gave Jackson an annoyed look. "I'm in a rush to…"

"It will only take a minute." Jackson insisted.

"Ok, fine…What?" Alex said, giving up.

"What are you doing next Saturday?"

Why?" He asked, with a suspicious look.

"Well, as you probably know April and I are moving." He started, trying to sound as nice as he could, since he was asking Alex for a favor.

"Yeah, I heard you two bought a house." Alex said, not understanding where he was going with this.

"Right." Jackson continued. "Well, I was wondering if you could help me out with the moving."

"Help you? Didn't you get a moving company to do the job?"

"We did, but now I need help to actually put the furniture in place and move some boxes around." Jackson explained, trying to persuade him. "Look, April's very pregnant now and I don't want her to carry heavy weights or do any unnecessary efforts. Can you help me or not?"

Alex thought for a few seconds, before coming to the conclusion he could give Jackson a hand. "Ok, fine…"

"I promise I'll make it up to you." Jackson said, smiling, before taking his hand of the door to let it close.

"Damn right, you will." He heard Alex shout.

…

"No, Alex, there…I said I wanted the nightstand to go there." April said, pointing to the empty place near the bed.

Alex was helping April put the master bedroom together. It's been two weeks since she first saw the house. Jackson was right, she loved the place. So, they decided to keep it and the deal was finalized fast enough for them to move quickly.

"Kepner, just make up your mind already. Do you want this to go in here or in there?" Alex said, moving the nightstand for the third time. He was trying to be as patient as he could, considering April was 29 weeks pregnant and being very annoying.

"There…it's fine there."

"Ok." He said, putting the furniture down where she wanted. "What's next?"

"Hum…I don't know." She turned around to figure out what they needed to do next, since they pretty much took care of everything else. "Oh, can you help me move the boxes that are downstairs into the closet?"

"Sure…" He said with a grumpy tone, turning around.

"Hey, babe…" She heard Jackson shout out from another room "Can you come here for a second?"

Jackson was in the baby's room, putting the crib together. They bought the baby's nursery furniture last week. They decided to decorate the bedroom with white furniture, leaving the color to the little details of the pillows, curtains, blankets and rug. "Oh my gosh…it looks so good!" She gasped when she entered the room.

"You think?"

"Yes…" she replied, overly excited about the idea of finally seeing things come together. "And the rocking chair is so pretty too." She said, picturing herself sitting there with her baby on her arms. "I can't wait to see our baby here."

"Yeah, I know."

"Her bedroom is gonna look so cute when it's finished." April said, in a quiet tone. They didn't tell anyone they were having a girl, since they decided to keep it a secret, and she didn't want Alex to hear her.

"So, where do you want to put the crib?"

"Hum…" She was about to reply when she heard Alex's voice shout out a loud 'Oh my gosh!' Afraid that he might've hurt himself with the boxes, she quickly walked to the master bedroom, to find him standing by the bed, overlooking the inside of one of the boxes. "Alex?"

He turned around holding a lacy red sexy thong on his hand. "Look what I found here!"

"Alex…" She said, feeling her cheeks turn red. "What are you doing? Give it to me!"

"Oh, wait…but there's more." He ignored her, tossing the tong to the side, to look inside the box again. "Red lace thongs; oh…here we've got a white lace bra; a sheer nightgown. Kepner, you sure like lace!"

"And you sure like to piss me off." She said, moving from where she was standing, trying to take the box off of his hands. "Alex, stop it."

"Wait a second." He cut her off. "Is this what I think it is?" He asked, holding the pair of panties her sisters gave her at her wedding shower. "Kepner, I always knew you had a naughty side, but this…this is something I never expected to see."

"Stop it. Give it to me!" She demanded, taking the panties from his hand, feeling very embarrassed.

"Do you wear these to work or are they only used to get your freak on with Avery?" He continued teasing her.

"Stop it!" She said, closing the box. Then she noticed how he was staring at her. "What?"

"I can totally picture you with that nightgown on…I mean, not like this, but…"He said, pointing out to her big baby bump.

"Alex, don't be disgusting!"

"What's going on?" Jackson wondered, entering the room to find his wife carrying a box into the closet, with her cheeks red and eyes glued to the ground.

"Oh nothing…I just found your wife's sexy underwear." Alex replied, in a teasing tone. "Guess now I know why I keep walking in on you in on-call rooms or supply closets!"

"C'mon, Karev." Jackson said, unamused, seeing how uncomfortable his wife looked.

"Why did you open the box?" April asked, returning into the room, after putting the box down.

"You said you needed help with the boxes. I thought you needed help unpacking the boxes as well." Alex defended himself.

"Well, obviously I don't need you help…"

"You could've warned me." He said, more serious now. "But you know what? I've been here helping you all day. I should probably go now."

"Yeah…" Jackson agreed. "I guess we can handle the rest."

"Ok, I'm gonna go now." Alex said turning around to leave the bedroom. Both Jackson and April followed him downstairs, to say their goodbyes.

"Thank you, Alex, for helping out." April said, knowing that without his help, things would've been more difficult.

"You're welcome." He replied. "Cool house, by the way!"

"Thanks." Jackson said. "I owe you one…I really do!"

"Yeah…Well, you do. See you on Monday."

Once Alex left, Jackson shut the door and turned to April. "How did he find your underwear?"

"I don't know!" She replied, still embarrassed with what just happened. "I guess he just opened the box."

"It was your sexy underwear!" He said, putting his arms around her waist.

"I know! How embarrassing!" She put her hands on his chest. "But don't worry. You're the only one who gets to see them on me."

"I love seeing you in your sexy underwear!"

"I know you do!" She teased him with a sexy voice, moving her hands to his neck.

"Oh really…Then I guess you could put them on and…"

"As much I'd like to, unfortunately they don't fit me right now…"

"In that case, let me tell you that we don't need them anyways…"

"Well…" She looked at him with a spark on her eyes; then, she placed her body closer to his and in a whisper she said "I guess a break would be nice, after spending all day cleaning and putting things in place!"

"I know, right!"

"But…" She continued, stepping away from him, to make her way upstairs again. "We've got a lot of work to do. C'mon…there still a lot of boxes to unpack and I want to get this house ready before the baby arrives. At this rhythm, I can tell that that's not happening, so…"

"Can we take a break later?" He asked, frustrated.

"Only if you're nice!" She said, teasing him again.

…

AN:

Hey guys,

Short chapter I know. I just wanted to write something fun, you know?! And I kind of miss seeing April and Jackson interact with Alex in the show. Don't you?

Anyways, thanks for your reviews. Let me know what you think of this chapter.

I think I'll be able to update soon.

Love, Annie


	15. world's best dad

"Here's the lotion." Jackson said, carrying a bottle in his hands. He sat next to April on the couch "Now, put your feet up on my lap."

"Thank you." She said, lying down, with her back to the couch, placing her feet on Jackson's lap. "Can you hand me the tablet?"

He reached for the coffee table in front of them and gave her the tablet. Then, he put a little bit of lotion in his hands and started massaging her feet. "You should stop doing surgeries."

"What? No."

"Look, your ankles are kind of swollen too."

"Really?" She said, lifting up her head, but not being able to see anything, since her baby bump was in the way.

"Yeah…" He continued massaging her feet. "You know why? Because you were standing for too long. April, how many hours did your surgery last today?" He asked, seeing how swollen her feet were. "Tell me the truth!"

"I don't know. Three." She replied, trying to not give much importance to the issue. "Four."

"See what I'm talking about?" He asked, making a point. "That's way too many hours for you to be standing up."

"I'm fine, Jackson. I was fine during the whole thing."

"You know what? I'm gonna talk to Hunt." He said. "Maybe there's a way you can stick by the ER without going into surgery."

"I forbid you from doing that."

"I'm technically your boss, so…"

"Hey!" She kicked him with her foot, with a fake angry look, before turning her attention back to the tablet in her hands. "I'm serious, Jackson."

"I just think you should be more careful with your and the baby's health." He continued, touching her toes. "I'm not too fond of the idea of you standing without eating or drinking water for four hours."

"I'm a grown woman. I can take of myself." She said, before losing focus with his touch. Her feet were hurting pretty bad and his hands were doing wonders. "Oh, yes…right there. That feels so good."

"I don't even know how you do it."

"Do what?" She asked, opening back her eyes.

"Manage to stay on your feet for I don't know how many hours being pregnant like you are. Don't your back hurt?"

"No." She lied. Of course it hurt. Everything hurt, but she promised Hunt she was going to work until the baby arrived and she was going to keep her promise. The ER was chaotic as it was and without her there to help and do her job, things would be even more difficult to handle.

"I know you're lying to me. You come home every day begging me for a back massage."

"Well, for your information I take advantage of you, because you're the sweetest husband." She said, trying to sound as credible as possible. She didn't want Jackson to worry about her. "But I'm fine and I will be fine until the end of my pregnancy."

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?

"You're not actually considering working until the end of…"

"Of course I am." She firmly said. "There's nothing wrong with working if I'm comfortable doing so."

"But…"

"Jackson, it's my body. I can read the signs of my own body. When I'm tired or if I'm tired, I'll stop. That's not the case. Plus, many women work until the end of their pregnancies."

"Not when they're surgeons."

"Oh my gosh, we're seriously not having this argument."

"Yes, yes we are. I'm your husband, you're my wife and this is my child we're talking about too." He said, trying to put some sense into her. "I worry about you, April. If anything happens to you or the baby, I don't know what I'd do…"

"Relax. Nothing's going to happen. Everything's under control. Besides, the hospital is a safe place; safe environment…we're gonna be fine"

"Is it? Really?"

"Don't worry." She placed one hand on her baby bump, knowing how many crazy things happened inside those hospital walls; knowing deeply in her heart that maybe it wasn't the safest place; knowing how she could not think about it, otherwise she would have a hard time waking up in the morning to go to work there. "But if it makes you feel more comfortable, then I guess I can skip some surgeries."

He looked at her and smiled, even though he was not completely relieved. "Good."

"Oh yeah, keep doing that…" She demanded, as he made more pressure with his thumbs.

"So, the baby shower is tomorrow."

"I know. And it's also the first time we're having people over our new home." They planned a quick get-together with their friends and colleagues from the hospital. It was taking place tomorrow afternoon, since it was a Saturday, on their backyard. It was going to be something simple, but they decided to do something right for once. Since they didn't let anyone attend their wedding, having a baby shower seemed the right thing to do.

"Are you sure you want me to stay?" He asked. April requested his presence during the baby shower, but he wasn't sure if he would feel comfortable there. "Aren't baby showers a girl thing?"

"No." She replied, scrolling down a webpage with her finger. "Dads can come too."

"Right…"

"Plus, I have a surprise for you!"

"A surprise?" He asked, very curious now. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise. You're gonna have to wait 'til tomorrow to find out."

"If I have to, then…"

"Do you think people are gonna come?" She asked, after thinking for a minute.

"Yes, everyone I talked to said they were going to come." He replied, noticing her worried face. "Why?"

"I don't know." She said, somehow doubting people's affection for her. "Sometimes these thoughts that people still hate pop into my head."

"Nobody hates you, April."

"I know…I just…Never mind." She turned her attention back to the tablet she was holding in her hands.

"I don't think I've ever been to a baby shower before!"

"Really?" She asked. Then, she felt his hands put more pressure into the palm of her right foot. "Oh my gosh, your hands are doing miracles to my feet."

Jackson smiled and applied more pressure with his fingers. "Do you like it like that?"

"Oh yeah…That feels so, so, so nice." She continued. Until she started scrolling down a baby forum page and read something that made her blink fast and take her feet off of her husband's lap. "Oh my gosh, stop what you're doing right now!"

"What? Why?" He asked, warned by her sudden change.

"Oh my…how could I not know about this?"

"About what? April?"

"About this!" She said, handing him the tablet. "Foot massages actually induce labor!"

"April, don't freak out!" He read the whole thing.

"Don't freak out? You've been giving me foot massages almost every day for the past week."

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from these baby forum things?"

"She's been kicking a lot lately…maybe that's why!"

"April…"

"I'm not ready to have this baby yet." She said, getting up from the couch. "Oh my gosh…what have I done?"

"April, calm down!"

"I am calm!" She almost shouted at him. "I'm a doctor; I should know this!"

"It's not a big deal!"

"Not a big deal?" She turned around to face him. "Didn't you read that that woman had a pedicure in the morning and her contractions started at night?"

"C'mon, you're not gonna believe what people write online."

"I need to keep this bun in the oven for a couple more months." She continued, ignoring him. She was 32 weeks pregnant. But there was nothing left for her to do. So, she took a deep breath. "You know what? No more foot massages…no more massages at all!"

"Fine." He said, smiling at how cute she looked when she rambled.

…

"Kepner…"

"Chief, you came!" April greeted Owen Hunt as he stepped into the backyard of their new house.

"Of course. Oh, and look at you." He said, placing one hand on her belly. April was wearing a lovely light yellow dress, which showed her baby bump perfectly. "Beautiful."

"Thanks."

"I brought you a present!"

"A present?" She took a box from his hands, smiling. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He assured her. "It's just a little something for the baby."

"Thank you, really!" Then, she looked around. She was near a table full of cakes and cookies and all sorts of beverages. "Hum, do you want anything? Can I get you something to drink or…?"

"No, I'm good." He replied, spotting Jackson from the corner of his eyes. "I'm actually going to give Avery a word."

"Ok." She said. "I'm so glad you came."

"April? Is that you?" April heard someone with a familiar high pitched voice shout out loud. "Oh my gosh!"

Turning around slowly, knowing exactly who she was about to encounter, she tried to put a smile on her face. "Alice…" Behind her youngest sister, she saw her two other siblings. "…and Libby and Kimmie. What are you doing here?"

"You told mommy you were going to have a baby shower, so…we decided to come, make you a surprise!"

"And I am…really…surprised." She said, thinking to herself this was a bad idea. "But how did you know the address?"

"We called your husband!" Libby replied, looking around to see if Jackson was nearby.

"Oh, let me take a good look at you." Kimmie said, after giving her a hug. "You look…huge!" She knew her sister was not paying her a compliment. She was big, but the way Kimmie said the word 'huge' was somehow in a mean way.

"Hum, yes…I'm pregnant!"

"No, but you look like a balloon. A big yellow balloon!"

"Ok…" She said, placing one protective hand against her baby bump, not in the mood to be teased like this.

"I see your bridesmaids are here!" Libby noticed, looking at Meredith and Arizona, who were sitting together. "Or at least two of them."

April knew they still felt a little bit of resentment because of the last minute replacement on her wedding. "Hum, did mom and dad came too?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"No, they're working, but…" Libby said, handing her a couple of bags. "…we've got you a few presents!"

"It was so hard to buy anything though." Alice said, intervening in the conversation. "It was hard, because we didn't know if we should buy pink things our blue ones."

"Why don't you just tell us the gender of that baby already?" Libby asked.

April didn't answered, but thought to herself that avoiding this type of stereotypes was one of the reasons why. "Ok, hum…Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

"Yes…a mimosa would be great!" Kimmie joyfully said.

"A mimosa? We don't have mimosas, but…"

"Oh c'mon, what kind of baby shower is this?" Kimmie said, starting to walk towards the inside of the house. "I bet you've got a bottle of champagne hiding somewhere…I can make mimosas to everybody!"

"Kimmie…don't!" But it was too late, since the three sisters were already inside, leaving April alone, carrying the present bags in her hands.

In that moment, Meredith approached her, with Bailey tucked to her hip. "Did I just see your sisters?"

"Yeah…they decided to make me a surprise." She replied, unamused. "My God, why? Why can't I just have a peaceful time…just for once?"

"I'm sure they were well intended!"

"Yeah, maybe…" April took a deep breath, realizing that maybe she was being a little unfair. "Anyways, are you enjoying the party?"

"Yeah, Zola and Sofia are crazy with the swing sets." She replied, pointing out to the girls.

"That was Jackson's idea. I told him it was too soon to get swings, but he couldn't help himself." April said, knowing how crazy it was to have a swing set on their backyard when their baby wasn't going to use them for a while.

"Your baby's going to grow faster than you think." Meredith said. "He's going to be using that swing when you least expect it."

"I know…" She said, caressing her baby bump. "Hey, have you seen Jackson?"

"Hum, yes…I saw him talking to Owen just now."

"Oh, ok. I still haven't had the change to be with him."

"Don't you want to open up the presents?" Meredith asked, looking at the table filled with boxes and bags guest brought.

"Sure." She replied. "You know what? I'm gonna go to the bathroom and then I'll open the presents, ok?"

"Ok…"

"Small bladder!" April excused herself and made her way upstairs, to use the bathroom in their bedroom.

…

Meanwhile, Hunt approached Jackson, who was opening a beer. "Dr Hunt, you're here!"

"Yes, I am! How are you?" He asked, shaking Jackson's hands and accepting a beer.

"Great!"

"And how's Kepner? She seems fine today."

"She's good." But then Owen's words seemed strange for a second. "Why do you ask?"

"Because of what happened yesterday in the OR." Owen replied, taking a sip from his drink. He noticed Jackson's puzzled face. "You don't know what happened yesterday?"

"Hum, no…"

"She was in the middle of her surgery when she started feeling dizzy." He informed Jackson, who obviously didn't have a clue. "She spent four hours operating, but the surgery was taking too long, she felt dizzy, lightheaded and eventually I had to take over for her."

"What?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"No." Jackson didn't know if he was more worried or pissed at his wife for not telling him something of this importance. "Did she faint?"

"No, she didn't faint." Owen replied, noticing the problem he had created. "It turned out to be just low blood sugar. She spent four hours without eating and her blood sugar went down, but she was fine…"

"She didn't tell me any of this."

"Probably she didn't want you to get worried."

"I am worried." Then Jackson took a few steps back. "I've gotta go talk to her right now."

"Hey, Avery, be nice with her. I'm sure she just didn't want you to worry."

…

He looked for her in the yard, until Meredith informed him she was in the bathroom. He waited for her to come out, sitting on the bed's edge, nervously tapping his foot against the floor. Once she stepped out of the bathroom and saw him waiting for her, she smiled and held her arms open to hug him. "I'm so glad you're here."

"No, not right now…" He said, holding her hands in the air, to prevent them from hugging him.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" He said, with a firm tone. "I was just talking to Hunt and he told me you passed out yesterday!"

"I didn't pass out yesterday." She tried to defend herself. "I got a little dizzy. Nothing more."

"A little dizzy? Hunt had to take over you!"

"Because my blood sugar levels got low and I had to leave to go eat something." She said, noticing how angry he was at her. "Gosh, Jackson…"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to get nervous, just like you are right now."

"Damn it, April." He shouted out at her. "This is exactly what I was talking about last night, ok? It's not ok for you to spend four hours in surgery, without eating or drinking anything. It puts your life in danger and it puts our baby in danger."

"Why are you yelling at me? Don't yell at me, Jackson." She said, feeling tears in her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but this was the first time it happened. It was the first time."

"You were irresponsible, April." He continued shouting.

"It was one time…it happened once…just once." She screamed back at him.

Jackson stared at her and noticed how fragile she looked and then it hit him that he was being unfair; that he shouldn't be yelling at her. "Ok, ok…"

"I'm sorry." April said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I just didn't want you to worry."

"C'mon, April." He said, kneeling in front of her. "You know I worry. You and our baby girl are everything to me."

She looked at him and placed one hand on his face. "I promise I'll be more careful, but this was the first time it happened. I'm always so cautious."

"I know." He said, taking her hand to kiss it. "I'm sorry I yelled. I shouldn't have done that, but Hunt told me you felt dizzy and I freaked out…"

"It's ok." She said. Then, he helped her stand up. She placed her hands on his waist, while he leaned in to kiss her.

In that moment, the bedroom door opened. "Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt!" Meredith said. Jackson and April separated, smiling. "You were taking so long I decided to check up on you."

"Oh, no…yeah, we'll be down in just a second." April replied. When Meredith left them alone again, she turned to Jackson. "So, did you know my sisters were gonna come?"

"Your sisters are here?"

She looked at him with a curious stare, sensing he was being sarcastic with her. "You knew and you didn't tell me!"

"I didn't know, I swear!" He said, leaving the bedroom being leaded by her hand. "They called me the other day, but I never suspected…"

"Huh, huh!" She said, unamused. "Well, Kimmie already called me a big yellow balloon, so this can only get better from here!"

"She called you what?"

…

Later that day, Jackson was waiting for his wife in bed. "April, are you coming or not?" He shouted.

April was in the baby's nursery, looking for something inside one of the drawers. "I'm coming!" She replied.

The small party went well and everybody had a great time hanging out and chatting. The presents April and the baby received were amazing. But there was one present left; one that wasn't meant for her or their baby girl.

Finally, Jackson saw his wife coming through the bedroom door, holding a wrapped packagein her hands. She crawled into bed and sat next to her husband.

"What's this?" He asked, when she handed him the package.

"A present." She replied, placing one hand on her baby bump. "It's from me and our daughter."

"Ok!" He said, quickly unwrapping the package. Then, he held a blue t-shirt that said 'World's Best Dad' in big white letters.

"This was the way I wanted to tell I was pregnant, but…" She continued. "…things didn't go as planned."

"Right…" He said, remembering exactly that when she told him they were expecting the circumstances weren't the best.

"Do you like it?"

"Of course I like it." He replied, leaning in to kiss her temple. "I'm gonna put it on."

"I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but I bought one for our baby too." She said, while he changed into the t-shirt she gave him.

"You did?"

"Yeah…" She said, slightly embarrassed, showing him the small pink baby bodysuit that said 'I have the best dad ever'. "I saw them the other day and I thought they were so cute, I couldn't help myself, so I bought them."

"I love it." He said, leaning against the bed board, to let her rest her back against his chest.

"You are the world's best dad, Jackson. You already care so much about her."

He simply placed one kiss on the back of her head. Knowing how she felt about his skills as a parent made him smile. Their baby would be here in a heartbeat and he already loved her more than words could say.

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

Here's the new chapter. I updated soon, as promised.

What did you think of this one? Leave a review and let me know.

So, the story is approaching its ending and I'm going to try to update one more chapter before I leave for vacation. I'm going to try my best.

Thank you so much for reading the story and for leaving your reviews. Your opinions inspire me.

Review and keep tuned.

I'll (try to) update very soon.

Love,

Annie


	16. a dream within a dream

"In a second everything can change." Owen Hunt said. April was in surgery with him that day. "One minute you're taking your kids to school, the other you get hit by a truck."

April simply nodded. "Yeah." She didn't say anything else, since she was trying to remain her focus. She felt her baby kicking pretty hard; it was getting uncomfortable. They spent the last two hours trying to save this woman's life and from what she was seeing the surgery was going to last for a while.

"And the worst thing is that it wasn't even her fault." Hunt continued. "It wasn't anybody's fault. The truck lost its breaks and the driver wasn't able to control the vehicle."

April looked at Owen, but it seemed like she lifted up her head too quickly, since she felt dizzy. She had to stop what she was doing for a minute. Owen didn't notice, since he was looking down at the work he was doing. However, Stephanie Edwards, who was standing next to April, helping with the surgery, noticed something was wrong. "Is everything ok, Dr Kepner?" She asked. Her question made Owen look up and April tried to quickly put herself together.

"Hum, yes. I'm fine." She replied, carrying on with her work. She tried to focus again.

"Kepner, if you have to stop just say so." Owen said, worried. "We don't want what happened the other day to happen again."

"No, I'm good." She remarked, trying to dismiss the situation. But she wasn't as good as she tried to look. Her baby stopped kicking, but she felt nauseated and her mouth got really dry; she started feeling too warm, it was too hot in the room and she started feeling a trace of cold sweat run down her spine; She looked down and closed her eyes for two seconds; she couldn't breathe and her heart started beating too fast; her knees trembled, making her whole body shiver. She looked up again to Owen, who was in front of her, apparently unaware of what was going on. However, her vision blurred and the room seemed to be moving around very fast. "Dr Kepner?" She heard someone by her side ask. It sounded like Stephanie's voice, but she wasn't sure. Then, she saw Owen stare at her, speaking to her; she tried to focus on his voice, but she could not understand what he was saying or even distinguish the words that came out of his mouth. Her hands started tingling and she abruptly dropped off the surgery tools she was holding in her hands. Then, she just felt a numbness take over her entire body. She still got the time to look to her right, where she found Stephanie mumbling her name. "Dr Kepner?" She saw Edwards lips move, but no sound came out of them. In a second, her legs collapsed and she blanked out.

Stephanie dropped everything to catch April as she fell. "Oh my gosh!" She let out, reaching out to carry the weight of April's body. With the help of another resident, who as nearby, April fell into their arms. Owen rushed to her side, yelling at people to get help, to take her out of there. Everybody in the room seemed to panic, since everything happened too quickly and without notice.

…

Jackson ran down the hospital halls, rushing to find his wife, as soon as he heard of what happened. Two weeks had passed by since the last dizziness incident, the one she didn't tell him about; she didn't have any other problems until now. She was 34 weeks pregnant and her health was his number one priority. Now, all he wanted to know was if she and the baby were fine. That was all he cared about.

When he got to the room she was in, he quickly opened the door, to find his wife lying on a hospital bed with Stephanie by her side. "What happened?" He asked, with a breathless voice. She looked a little pale, as the usual pinkish tone that lighted up her cheeks was nowhere to be seen. "Are you ok?" He continued, taking her hand, while looking up and down her body almost as if trying to see if anything was out of place.

"Yeah, I'm ok now." She said, with a weak tone. "I don't really know what happened. I was in surgery, I was fine, but the baby was kicking me really hard. Then, all of a sudden, everything turned into a blur."

"Did you fall?" Jackson asked, more concerned now, since whoever told him his wife was in trouble didn't mention exactly what happened.

"No, I don't think so." She continued. "I woke up a few minutes later on Edwards' arms."

"I caught her when she fell. She didn't touch the ground." Stephanie intervened in the conversation, seeing how worried Jackson was with his wife. "We were all in surgery… Hunt was there too; then she froze and started looking really pale; the next second, she collapsed. It all happened way too fast."

Jackson looked at Stephanie. He knew how awkward she must've been feeling and how strange the whole situation was. "Thank you." He said, knowing how she prevented things from getting even worse.

"You're welcome." She replied, then she turned to April. "Ok, if you don't need me here anymore, I'm gonna go."

"Ok, thank you, Stephanie." April said, thankful for what she had done.

When Stephanie left the room, Jackson sat in the bed next to April and placed one hand on her baby bump. "I got really worried."

"I know. I'm sorry." She said, resting her hand on top of his. "I was already seen by the OB and she said the baby's fine. She's fine."

In that moment, April's doctor entered the room and greeted Jackson. "Dr Avery, how are you?"

"Good…I'm good." He said, caring more about his wife's health. "But how's Dr Kepner and the baby?"

"They're both fine." The doctor continued. "But Dr Kepner seems to have low blood pressure. It's not uncommon to have a drop in blood pressure during pregnancy. It occurs because the circulation expands during pregnancy and hormonal changes cause the blood vessels to dilate, leading to a lowering of blood pressure. The most common symptoms of low blood pressure in pregnancy include dizziness and fainting."

"But why it this happening?" April innocently asked, since she thought she was doing everything right with her pregnancy.

"There are a few reasons why, but some of them are standing for long periods of time; Standing up too quickly can cause momentary drop in blood pressure; dehydration…"

"Is it dangerous for her or the baby?" Jackson asked.

"Not necessarily. The biggest danger is really in the fall, in case she faints." The OB continued. "For now I would recommend simple things like standing up slowly, changing positions, lying on one side instead of on your back and drink plenty of fluids. It's very important that pregnant woman drink enough water. And also eat every hour."

"Ok, but she's fine now?" Jackson asked once again, still concerned.

"Yes, she's fine and so is the baby." The Ob informed him, before excusing herself to leave.

Jackson turned to April, but before he could say anything she was ahead of him. "I know what you're going to say and I'm sorry, ok? You told me to stay away from surgeries, but it was an emergency and my help was needed, so...I know you're mad at me."

"No, April, I'm not mad at you." He said, with a serious stare. "I'm worried about you. I'm worried about the baby. I worry because I love you. I'm not mad at you, that's not it."

"Oh, ok…"

"But don't think that I'm gonna let this go by, because I'm not." He continued. "Look, this is serious. You can't keep fainting on the OR or getting dizzy around patients…it's dangerous for them, for you and for the baby."

"I know."

"So you agree with me?!"

"I do." She said. "I do and I'm sorry, but I was fine right before it happened. It was sudden and…"

"But you could've hurt yourself. If it weren't for Stephanie, you…"

"I know, I could've fell and hit the floor. Don't you think I know that? And I'm just as worried as you, Jackson. I'm her mom." She said, placing one hand on her baby bump. "If anything happens to our daughter, then it's all my fault and I'm gonna have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life."

"Then you have to be more careful."

"And I am careful." She defended herself, since he was taking this out of proportion. "I felt dizzy once and this was the first time I fainted. You're acting like I'm this reckless woman, who does nothing but to harm the baby."

He knew she was right. He wasn't being fair to her. She was one of the most attentive pregnant woman he saw. She was a good mother. "Ok, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"You want me to stay away from surgeries, I can do that. It's fine for me."

"Good." He said. "Can you do something for me, then?"

"What?"

"Can you agree on staying home for a couple of days?"

"Why?"

"Because I want you to rest." He said, trying to make a point. "C'mon, just for a couple of days."

She thought about it for a second and realized there was no point in fighting with him over this anymore. "Fine."

"Good." He said, stepping closer to her, placing one hand on her baby bump. "I know you might think I'm annoying sometimes, but I love you. I care because I love you."

…

April woke up the next day as if she had to go to work. Her alarm didn't go off, since she didn't even turned it on the night before, because she could actually sleep in. However, her biological clock usually made her wake up early anyway.

She was with her back turned to Jackson, but decided to move, to face him. He was still sleeping peacefully. He looked so handsome even in his sleep. But he was far more than just a good looking guy. He was someone who, despite growing up in a very rich family, worked and fought for himself and for everything he believed in. He didn't rely on his last name or family power. No, he actually busted his butt off to get where he was now. She was so proud of him…so proud of the man he had become, because in some way she did see him grow from a boy to a man. And what an amazing man he had become?! Now, looking at him, she couldn't be happier to know he was going to be the father of her child. She had no doubt in her mind that he was going to be an amazing father. He already was. How could she be so lucky to have a man like him as her husband?

Just as all those thoughts crossed her mind, she started feeling the baby kick. April loved feeling her baby move inside of her. Somehow, it gave her some peace. It was a sign that the baby was well and, more importantly, alive. Her baby was a kicker and there were some nights April couldn't find a position to sleep in. Luckily, tonight was not one of those nights. She slept very well, despite the scare she got the day before.

Placing one hand on where the baby was kicking, April massaged her bump, trying to ease the child down. Then, she decided to move into another position. So, she sat against the bed board, after adjusting the pillows on her back to get more comfortable.

Her movements made Jackson slowly open up his eyes. He noticed how she was sitting and looked up at her. "Good-morning, babe."

"Good-morning." She replied, realizing he was awake now.

"What time is it?"

"Hum…" She looked for the time on her cellphone, which was laying on the nightstand next to her. "…it's 6.40 AM."

Jackson rubbed his sleepy eyes with his hands. "What are you doing up so early? You're not working today."

"You know I always wake up early." She said, with one hand adjusting a pillow on her back to get better support. "Plus, the baby's already awake too. She's kicking me pretty hard."

Jackson moved his body to get closer to hers and placed his hands on her belly, feeling a kick hit him. "Good-morning to you too, princess." He said, leaning in to talk to her bump. "When are you going to let mommy sleep through the night?" April laughed. He knew how hard it was for her to find a position to sleep sometimes; it made him feel bad when she had those kind of rough nights, since there was nothing else he could do, but to see if she needed help. "She's strong."

"I know…trust me!"

Then, he lifted up her pajama top and kissed her belly, leaving a sweet trace of butterfly kisses down her stomach. She rested one hand on his shaved head, caressing it. Somehow the baby calmed down and the kicks progressively stopped. He had done this before and it seemed to relax the baby for some reason they didn't understand. But as long as it worked, she didn't care.

"Do I really have to stay home today?" She asked.

"Hum, yes!" He mumbled against her bare skin. Then, he placed one last kiss near her bellybutton and moved away from her bump, to lie on his back, with his head rested on his pillow. "You need to rest, eat properly and drink lots of water. You're staying home."

"I think I'm going to be bored today." April slipped back into bed and turned to her side to face him. Placing one hand on his chest, she started playing with his shirt. "What am I supposed to do home alone for the next couple of days?"

"If I could…" Jackson said, turning his head to face her. "…I would spend the entire day with you, in bed, cuddling…just making you feel better."

"I feel better now." She said, knowing how he was referring to yesterday's events. Then, April moved closer and placed a couple of kisses on his neck. "But I really like the idea of you staying home with me." She had a naughty smile on her face and he knew exactly what was going through her mind. "Maybe we could do more than just cuddle." She continued, moving her lips with tempting kisses across his neck.

"Now that's a really good idea." He remarked, letting her catch his lips. Jackson placed his hands on her waist, allowing April to move and get a better position. It was different making love to an eight month pregnant woman, but not less exciting. He opened his mouth, to deepen the kiss. Their tongues danced around each other, tasting each other's desire and anticipation. April climbed on top of him and rocked herself against his crotch, while helping him get his shirt off. Quickly, it fell to the floor. Then, he helped her move again, as she lied with her back against the mattress. His lips touched her lips again, but soon he started making his way down her neck, kissing it passionately. Jackson heard her moan when his hand slipped inside her panties and started caressing her already wet center. She wanted him badly and he wanted her too.

As things started to get more hot and steamy, he felt his body lose control. He needed to take her off of those damn clothes that still covered her beautiful body; and he needed to make love to her right in that moment.

However, as he took his hand off of inside her panties to slide her pajama pants down her legs, a noisy ring tone killed their mood. It was Jackson's phone that was ringing in the nightstand next to the bed. They stopped what they were doing, slightly frustrated, and Jackson tried to catch his breath. Then, he answered the phone.

A few minutes later, he hung up the call and turned to his unsatisfied wife. "And there goes the idea of spending the day in bed with you."

"What? No!" She said, cupping his face with her hands.

"I have to go to the hospital right now." He informed her, before kissing her lips tenderly. "But you know what? I'm gonna try to leave work earlier today, ok?" He could tell how she was not amused. "I'm sorry!"

"It's ok. I guess I understand." She said, letting go of his face.

"But I bet today's gonna be a great day." He smiled and place one kiss on her forehead, before leaving the bed. "You get to stay home all day, get some deserved rest, watch crappy TV, eat all the food you want…"

"Yeah…" She said, watching him make his way into the bathroom. "That actually sounds pretty good."

Jackson's head reappeared through the bathroom door. "Oh, and…" He continued, with a grin on his face. "…I promise I'll make it up to you tonight."

April threw a pillow across the room at him and giggled. He turned her on and now was leaving her alone with all of her frustration. "You bet you will!" She said.

…

Later that day, April decided to do some laundry now that she had the time do so. She had washed her baby's new clothes the other day and now decided to get them ironed. It wasn't her favorite chore to do and since it meant she had to be standing up, she knew Jackson couldn't find out or he would be mad at her. But there weren't many items of clothing, so she decided to make an effort and get it done.

After ironing her baby's clothes, she climbed the stairs and made her way to the nursery, to put them in her closet. Looking at all the bodysuits her daughter had and all the pretty dresses she bought for her, April couldn't wait to play dress up with her baby. Her daughter was going to be such a little princess.

She opened up the closet doors and placed the clothes inside. Then, she looked up to the top shelf. There it was one of the presents her sisters brought her a couple of weeks ago: the little orange blanket April used to wear when she was little. She adored that blanket and now it was time to pass it on to her daughter.

She decided it was for the best to wash it first, but the blanket was on the top shelf and she couldn't reach it. Then, she turned around and spotted the ladder Jackson used the other day to put the nursery's curtains on. So, she decided to drag the ladder and climb on. Her belly was huge, but she managed to climb three steps. It was a hard exercise for her to do, but she just needed to reach the blanket. She was almost there. She just needed to reach her hand a little further. It was so close she could almost touch it with the tip of her fingers. So, she leaned in, reaching her hand as far as she could.

But then, she felt something. It was like the earth just moved.

…

Back at the Hospital everybody felt the earth shake as well. Everything trembled: gurneys, computers, shelves and even patients were dropped to the floor.

Then, complete madness took care of the place, as reports showed on TV that a massive earthquake just hit the city.

Jackson was with a patient when it all happened and they had to lean against the walls not to fall. It was the strongest thing he ever felt. After reassuring his patient was ok, he left the room. The Hospital was chaotic: things dropped to the floor and people trying to figure out what to do.

He decided to run to the ER, where he found Owen giving orders. "Dr Hunt, what happened?"

"An earthquake." He said, moving away from Jackson. "TV says it was massive…probably the biggest Seattle has ever seen."

Then, Jackson turned his attention to the TV as the newscast showed building destroyed by the force of nature. "There are many injured and a lot of destruction as you can see…" He heard the journalist say. "…It was a powerful earthquake. We still don't know its magnitude, but…" As he saw the live images of outside's destruction, only one thought crossed his mind: April.

He reached for his pocket and quickly searched for her number. As he was about to press the call button he heard Callie shout at him. "Avery, don't just stand there…move! Injured are starting to arrive and I need your help."

"I just need to call April to see if she's ok." He said, ignoring her. The phone rang but she didn't answer. He let it ring until it reached her voicemail.

"Avery!" Callie pushed him again.

He saw no other choice but to put his hands to work, since more and more people arrived in ambulances.

…

April didn't understand what happened. One minute she was on the ladder, the other she was lying on the floor. Something very strong hit the ground, making everything shake. She was scared, since she didn't know what was going on. Suddenly, she felt a terrible ache on her stomach. It seemed like a contraction. It was something she never experienced before and it hurt badly. Then, she started feeling something go down her legs and spray her pants: it was blood.

She tried to take a deep breath, but the pain on her stomach didn't stop. It hurt so bad, she felt tears in her eyes. She looked for her phone, which was a few steps away, since it was projected with the strength of the quake. Crawling in pain, she grabbed the phone and saw one missed call from Jackson. She tried to call him back, but he didn't answer.

She looked down, as more and more blood painted her pants. In that moment, she could only think about her baby. If she was suffering, her baby would be too. She felt like she was losing her baby.

She tried to call Jackson again, but he still didn't pick up. So, she decided to reach 911. However, all the lines were occupied. She realized that something really bad just happened. She tried to call 911 again and again, but nothing. All the lines were busy and she was losing her baby and her husband wasn't picking up and she was all alone.

April didn't dare standing up. Her pain was too deep and she feared that standing up would put her daughter in a worse positon than she already was. No one was there to help her, no one was picking up the phone and there was nothing she could do.

She felt tears stream down her face, as she held her baby bump with both hands. The pain didn't feel just like a contraction anymore; it felt like part of her was being ripped from her body. She tried not to panic, but she couldn't breathe well. Anxiety was taking over her body. She knew she needed to keep calm for her baby and for herself. So, she took a deep breath, bowed down her head and lifted her hands together.

"Dear God, I know you're there…I know you can hear me." She prayed. "Please help me, Lord. I'm losing my baby…I can't lose my baby and you're the only one who help me now. Lord, help me. Save my baby…please, take me, but save my baby. I know you've always been there for me and I know you won't leave me now. Lord, help me. Jesus, hear my prayer and help me."

She opened up her eyes again when another contraction hit her badly. "Jesus, save my baby." She pleaded. "Save her. I can't lose my baby. Save her."

The contractions she was feeling were almost unbearable. So, April grabbed her phone and dialed 911 again, but the lines were still occupied. "Please…please!" She murmured to herself looking at her phone. Her pain didn't go away and there was more blood now on her pants. Then, in a last act of faith, she dialed the number again and for the first time it rang.

"911, what's emergency?"

"Oh, thank God you picked up." She said, after hearing a woman's voice on the other side. "Thank God. I've been trying to call…I don't know what happened…Hum, my name is April Kepner…I'm home alone. I'm pregnant…34 weeks pregnant and I fell."

"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to calm down, ok?" The woman on the other side of the line said.

April tried to clear her voice and keep it as steady as she could. "I'm 34 weeks pregnant and I fell from a ladder. I'm bleeding…a lot." She said, tearing up again after looking down at her pants. "I'm bleeding. I'm losing my baby."

"Ma'am…" The woman tried to calm her down, but there was no use. She couldn't control the pitch on her voice anymore and the tears that uncontrollably fell down her cheeks weren't making communication any easier.

"I'm having contractions, but…I know this isn't normal. It hurts and I'm bleeding a lot. I'm losing my baby girl…I'm losing her."

"Ok, can you tell me where you are so we can send some help?"

April told her the address and told her she lying on the nursery floor. "Come quick. Please, I'm…not feeling too good." She was fighting against her body as best as she could, since she was starting to lose her consciousness.

"We're going to send help. It may take a few minutes, because there are many requests."

"Ok, ok…" April mumbled, feeling yet another contraction. She held on to her baby bump with her free hand and closed her eyes. She was feeling dizzy and losing too much blood, but the thought of a miscarriage of some sort never left her mind. She was terrified.

"Ma'am, are you with me?" The woman asked, sensing something was wrong. "Ma'am?"

"Yes. I'm here."

"Look, I need you to maintain calm. Help is on the way, ok?" The woman said. "Just stay right where you are and don't move."

"Ok…"

After she hung up the call, she waited. But time was moving way too slowly and she knew she wasn't going to make it to the Hospital in time. It was all her fault; she should've listened to Jackson and stayed in bed all day. But no…she had to be stubborn about it and she had to get on a ladder in the exact moment an earthquake hit the city.

April tried not to look down again. She could feel the blood coming out and run down her legs, but she didn't dare peek anymore. It hurt too much and all she could think about was her baby.

"I'm so sorry, bug." She said, in between tears, caressing her baby bump. "I'm so sorry. I love you so much." Then she thought about Jackson and how sad he would be if they lost their daughter. It broke her heart to know she was the reason why it all happened. She wondered if he was going to be able to forgive her for that. She feared his reaction and what he would do.

She tried to think about the fact that help was coming, but they were taking too long. Looking at her phone, twenty minutes had already passed by and nothing. Those were the longest twenty minutes of her life…and nothing.

And there she was: lying on the floor of her baby's now messed up nursery; a ladder by her side; clothes dropped on to the floor; her pants filled with her own blood; and a deep sense of weakness that was killing her inside.

…

The ER was in a complete chaos, as more injured people arrived. The earthquake made all sorts of building collapse, car crashes and even small fires start.

Gurneys transported by paramedics arrived every minute and everyone in the hospital was working fast.

Alex Karev was helping taking care of a child, when he saw another ambulance arrive. The paramedic transported the gurney inside. He looked over and noticed a pregnant woman being carried. Then, almost instinctively, he stood up and realized the woman had red hair and pale skin. 'It can't be', he thought. His worst fears were confirmed when the paramedic started informing the hospital staff the woman's name and her condition.

Alex excused himself from the child's parents and looked for a nurse to complete the bandage the kid had to wear. Then, he ran towards the gurney, to find April covered in blood, pale as a ghost, shattering in pain.

"Kepner?"

April looked up at him and recognized his face. "Alex, save my baby." She said. "Save my baby."

Alex knew he needed to act fast, since she was bleeding a lot. He decided to take over the case. Then, pushing the gurney out of the ER, he spotted a resident and called her. "Edwards?" He shouted. "Edwards, where's Avery?"

"I don't know…in surgery, I think." Said Stephanie, approaching the gurney and Alex. When she looked at April, she covered her mouth with her hands and gasped. "Oh my gosh!"

"Look for Avery. Can you do that?"

"Hum, yes…yes." She stumbled in her own words and started running.

When she reached the OR, she grabbed a mask and put it over her mouth. Jackson was in surgery with Callie. She opened the door and tried to get his attention. "Dr Avery?" Everybody looked at her. "Dr Kepner is here."

"Oh, good." He said, relived to know from his wife, thinking she arrived to help. "Is she ok?" Stephanie didn't reply and in that moment he felt something was wrong. "Is she ok?" He asked again.

"You've got to come." She finally spoke. "I'm really sorry, but you've got to come."

Jackson looked at Callie, who simply nodded her head and said. "Go, Avery…go!" He didn't think twice and tried to get out of there as soon as he could.

"How is she?" He asked Stephanie, as they ran side by side.

"I'm not sure, but there was a lot of blood."

"Blood?"

"Yes, blood…her pants were covered in blood." She replied, not exactly sure what to say. "Karev's with her."

"Ok, ok…" He didn't know what to think anymore. He just wanted to see her.

When they finally reached the OR she was in, Jackson ran towards her and his heart broke after seeing her state. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry." April said, in a weak tone. "It was my fault. You told me to stay in bed, but I didn't; you told me to get some rest, but… I fell." She tried to explain.

"You fell?" He asked, realizing now her clothes were filled with blood. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm not to scare her even more.

"I was on a ladder and the earth started shaking and it fell. I'm so sorry." She replied. Tears were running down her face.

He caught her tears with his thumbs and kissed her forehead. "It's ok. It's ok…don't speak now. It's ok." Then he turned to Alex. "What are you waiting for?"

"I already paged the OB." He informed him.

"Then where is the OB?"

"I don't know. This place is in complete chaos."

In that moment, April let out a small scream and placed her hands over her stomach. Realizing in how much pain she was, Jackson turned to Alex and firmly said. "There's no time to wait. Karev, my baby…I can't lose my baby or my wife or the two of them for all that matters."

"I…"

"You will help." Then he felt April reach for his hand and hold it.

"Jackson." April said, feeling slightly lightheaded. "If anything happens, don't bother with me…just save her."

"Don't speak, honey. Don't speak." He said, trying to prevent her from doing any efforts. "Alex?" He turned to his friend again, knowing he had to do something. He couldn't bare seeing his wife suffer like this any longer.

…

April saw herself standing in front of a mirror. It was a strange image. It was her, as a thirteen year old teenager, with pimples in her face and braces, glasses and a big rebellious hair. She was looking at herself, thinking about how she wished she was prettier.

The image changed in a second and now she's riding horses with her dad. He's smiling next to her, on top of his own horse. She's about sixteen now and they're in the farm.

But that image only lasted two seconds. Now, she was in a locker room full of other people. She felt confused, anxious and excited all at the same time. She looked down and noticed her clothes. She was at Mercy West and this was her first day as an intern. Then, she turned around and saw a tall, very handsome, dark skinned man approach her. He put his things on the locker next to her and said "Hi, I'm Jackson." She tried not to stare, but his green eyes were something from out of this world. Then, she shyly smiled and shook his hand. "Hi, I'm April. Nice to meet you." He seemed nice, she thought.

That image disappeared and April didn't understand what was going on or what was happening. Why was she relieving all these moments in her life? Could she be dreaming? Was she having a dream?

Then, she saw herself standing on a hotel hallway. Her heart was beating fast, she felt the adrenaline fill her body. Jackson was standing in front of her. "I'm…a soldier.", she said. He looked at her and said something about not understanding what that meant. In an impulse, she jumped into him and took his lips. They kissed for the first time and it felt good to finally release all the tension.

April was very confused right now. She didn't know what was happening. She didn't have a clue. It was like a sequence of images of some of the most important moments of her life were flashing before her eyes.

Then, she was in bed. Jackson was holding her firmly by the waist. He was still sleeping. She looked at her hand and saw her sparkly wedding ring. They got married the day before and made love all through the night, to make it up for the lost times. She was so happy, she couldn't contain herself and so, she started kissing his neck, softly. He smiled, probably waking up with her touch.

It all changed so quickly, she didn't have time to think much. Now, she was standing with a test result in her hands. 'Pregnant', she read. She didn't know what to feel, since she was in a mix of joy and fear. She placed one hand over her flat stomach. She was pregnant. A single tear fell down her cheek. Somehow, it was a happy tear.

Now, she was in a garden, soft music playing on the background. April and her husband were dancing. Jackson was holding her, whispering in her ear his plans for their life. And she was happy. She was so happy, she feared her heart could explode with joy.

Then everything changed. She almost felt her body being transported to a different dimension and she was so light. She felt so light, she could actually fly if she wanted to. At the moment, she entered an OR. She saw Alex with a puzzled look on his face. Something was wrong, because everybody in the room seemed to be moving fast. Alex seemed ready to act, but then the alarming sound of life support machines went off. "She's crashing." He said. Then, she noticed Jackson. He seemed distressed. "Don't leave me." He shouted. "Don't leave me." Then she realized he was talking to the woman who was lying in the operating table. She seemed to be pregnant. There was blood on her clothes. April thought she knew this woman, but for some reason she could not see her face. Jackson started screaming at Alex. "Do something!" He was panicking.

"She already lost a lot of blood." Alex continued. "We need to move fast!"

April wished she could help. She called Jackson's name, but no one could hear her; she tried to move next to the table, but her feet were now stuck to the ground; she tried to get noticed, but no one could see her. It was like she was a ghost.

"No, no, no…" She heard Jackson mumble. She never saw him like this. Who could this woman be? And why did he care so much about her? Alex then said something about them being ready to start the procedure. Jackson said he was helping too. Alex didn't want him to be in the room, but Jackson turned to him and shouted. "This is my wife and this is my baby girl. I'm not leaving until they're safe." With that, Alex saw he had no choice, but to help this frantic man get his wife and baby back. Then, Jackson leaned in to whisper something into the woman's ear. "I love you…don't leave me. I need you, April." April. He said her name. Then it hit her. This wasn't a memory. She was not reliving this moment. No, this was real. Suddenly, she understood why she saw moments of her life flash before her eyes. People often said that you see your life before your eyes when you're about to die. But she could not be dying. The woman lying on that table could not be her. She saw how Alex started the procedure; Jackson was in front of him, breathing hard, almost too desperate to keep it together. Then, she saw a bright light nearly blind her eyes. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Everything felt like it was a dream within a dream. But this wasn't a dream. And after taking that step forward, she felt nothing more. The room disappeared, the pain went away and pure silence filled her surroundings. It was too late to go back and she wasn't coming back. She was gone.

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

As promised here's the new update!

Did you like this chapter? Tell me what you think and review. I'm dying to know your opinions.

Thank you so much for supporting the story, for reading it and for reviewing.

Now, this was the last chapter until the middle of August. I don't know when I'm going to be able to update again since I'm leaving for vacation, but please know that as soon as I get back I'm going to start writing.

What did you think of this chapter? Did you find it good? What do you think it's going to happen? Tell me your opinions.

Also, note that I'm not a doctor, so the information about the low blood pressure thing I took from the internet. I hope it's correct.

I'm sorry to be leaving you with a cliffhanger, but I want you to feel excited about the next chapter.

I'll update as soon as possible.

Leave a review and keep tuned.

Love, Annie.

PS: English's not my first language so any mistakes you might find, let me know and I'll correct them.


	17. love alone is worth the fight

"I love you…don't leave me. I need you, April." Jackson whispered in her ear as he felt he was about to lose her.

In a second everything can change…for better or for worse. In the blink of an eye your whole life can take an unexpected turn and there's nothing you can do about it, but to sit and watch life unroll, like a faithful spectator. Jackson couldn't be more close to this feeling. There he was, standing next to his pregnant wife's body, trying desperately not to freak out and keep it together. She was dying, bleeding out, and to make things worse their baby needed help too.

After the sound of life support machines went off they were eventually able to stabilize her and now Alex was about to start the procedure. They needed to take the baby out as fast as they could and the only thought that crossed Jackson's mind as his colleague made the first cut was that it would be a miracle if the baby was okay.

Jackson could feel his body shaking, his heart racing, he felt he was running out of breath, his palms were sweaty and his hands tingling. It was something he could not control; it was a mix of adrenaline and fear.

"Avery, are you ok?" He heard Alex ask. "Yes, I'm good." Jackson replied, not completely sure if that was true. His mind was running a million miles a minute, his body kept trembling non-stop and he felt like he couldn't focus. He was all over the place and his emotions were taking over him.

"Ok." Alex said, knowing that he was probably lying about his state. "I'm gonna need your help now. I'm cutting the uterus."

"Yeah, ok…" Jackson replied, knowing exactly what he needed to do, since he had to deliver a baby almost in an identical way a few months before. But it felt wrong to see April cut open like this. He didn't know why, since he saw patients lying on tables just like that one every day. But this was not just a patient; this was his wife. Not only that, but their daughter was in there too. "Alex, c'mon. We need to save my baby."

"I know. I'm working as fast as I can." Karev said, preparing the clamps to spread the uterus wide open. Jackson took the tools and placed them where they needed to be, pulling with all the strength he got. "Ok, here we go." Alex remarked as he reached for the baby.

Everything happened so quickly that it was hard for Jackson to follow up. In one moment they were cutting April's stomach, the other the baby was already out.

"It's a girl." Alex noticed, pulling the baby out.

"Is she breathing?" Jackson asked, ignoring Alex's comment. At this point his only concern was if the baby was alive or not.

"She is."

"Thank God." He let out a deep breath and proceeded to cut the umbilical cord. In that moment, the baby started crying and Jackson held her closer to his body. "It's ok, daddy's here. Daddy's got you. It's ok, baby. It's ok!" He wrapped her up in a towel and placed her on top of a table, where he started taking care of her with the normal afterbirth procedures. "How's April?" He asked turning to Alex, who was still bending over his wife's body.

Just as Alex was about to speak, the OR door opened and Owen Hunt, with a mask in front of his face, popped up. "I heard what happened with Kepner. Is everything ok?" He looked at the side and noticed how the baby was out, but he could tell by the look on Alex's face that something wasn't right. "Karev, update me!"

"Well, we delivered the baby. It's a girl and she's breathing at least, but April was bleeding a lot when she got here. We still need to check out the baby to see if she has any health problems."

"Good." Hunt said. "And Kepner?"

"Well, now I'm about to start working on her internal bleedings."

"Internal bleedings?" Jackson asked, almost jumping. It was like he was acknowledging just now the seriousness of the issue.

Hunt moved and approached the table, taking a look at April's body. Then, he turned to Jackson, who was now handing the baby to one of the nurses standing by his side. "I'm scrubbing in. Avery, you should take the baby out of here and…"

"I'm not leaving!" Jackson firmly said. "I want to help."

"Hospital rules say that…"

"I don't care about hospital rules." He cut him off aggressively, knowing exactly what Hunt was trying to point out. "Doctors shouldn't treat family members…I know all about that crap, but April's in a dangerous situation..."

"Which is exactly why you can't be in here." Owen raised his voice. "Emotions play a role when it comes to family and you know damn right what I'm talking about, so…"

"You can't expect me to stand outside without doing my best to help my wife."

"You'll help by taking your kid and leaving the room."

"I refuse to go. You can't make me go."

"C'mon..." Alex felt the need to intervene in this pointless argument. Every second was precious and they didn't have much time left. "We don't have time for this. Avery, take the baby and leave. Take care of her for now. We're going to do our best to save your wife."

"No, I…"

"Just do it!" Alex said, in a demanding tone. "Please. Your baby needs you too."

"But…"

"Plus, April's situation is not as bad as it seems." Alex lied.

Jackson was not pleased with this situation, but he agreed it was for the best. So, he moved to April's side and placed a tender kiss on her forehead before leaning down and whispering into her ear. "Don't leave me. I can't do this without you. I love you." Then, he took the baby from the nurse's arms and carefully carried her out of the room.

Hunt quickly scrubbed in and started working by Alex's side. He knew he had other responsibilities, especially considering the hospital was full of earthquake victims. But he decided April's life was more important. He was her mentor and even though he should be out there taking care of the ER, he felt the need to make April his priority. He knew Alex couldn't do it on his own and that Jackson, as desperate as he looked, was not going to be helpful at all. He was going to do his best to save her, but things looked worse than what he expected.

…

After they ran a few tests on the baby they came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with her. She was perfectly healthy. She was a little over four pounds and strong enough not to need to be in the incubator. That calmed Jackson down and now, as he held his baby tightly against his chest, he felt nothing more but the love he had for that little girl grow by the minute.

Then, he remembered that the world was not as perfect as it should be right now. His wife was still in surgery and he needed to know how she was.

He didn't want to let go of his baby though, but he had to know if April was okay. He wanted to keep his daughter as close as he could and leaving her in the nursery was hard. Yet, he had to go, since she was fine and sleeping peacefully, wrapped up in a blanket, in his arms.

"Daddy will be back soon, ok?" He whispered, kissing the top of her tiny head. "I love you, princess."

…

Jackson pushed the doors and entered the scrub room. He looked through the windows and saw how Alex and Hunt worked around April's body as concentrated as they could be on the task on their hands. Since he left with the baby an hour ago and the last time he saw her things didn't look good, he wondered what was going on. He wanted to go inside, but decided not to. It was for the best to let Alex and Owen work in peace and without any distractions.

Seeing his wife lying on that operating table completely vulnerable broke his heart. Suddenly, he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders and a feeling of desolation take over his entire body. Feeling his legs shaking and his body trembling, he decided to sit down on the floor, with his back leaning against the scrub sinks. He bowed down his head and placed it between his arms. Then it hit him: his wife was in surgery in the room next door, his baby was born a month earlier than what was expected and he had no idea how everything happened so quickly. Things were not supposed to happen like this. No. April was supposed to have the baby in the most normal way, her water was supposed to break and he was supposed to hold her hand when the contractions came, telling her to remember to breath and that everything was going to be ok. She was supposed to push the baby out and hold her in her arms after all that effort. April was supposed to see her baby being born, but no…she was half dead when Alex pulled their baby out. He felt his throat close and his eyes get filled with tears as the thought of his wife half dead, lying in that operating table, haunted his mind.

How could this be happening? How could God let this happen? He never believed in God and he always doubted His existence, but now Jackson wondered how God could do something like this to someone like April. It wasn't fair and if God was real, then He shouldn't have let this happen. April was the most loving person he knew and her faith could move mountains. So why did it happen to her? Why did He let it happen to her? Why her?

Jackson tried to breath, but it seemed like his lungs were blocked. So, he lifted up his head and tossed it backwards. His whole world was shattered into pieces and there was nothing he could do. He never felt more helpless in his life and he hated this feeling of powerlessness. Then his thoughts turned to God again. Looking back at how he watched April read the bible and pray to God every night made him feel angry. What was the point? She usually prayed using Psalm 121, asking God to keep her baby from all harm. It said:

...

'The Lord will keep you from all harm

He will watch over your life;

The Lord will watch over your coming and going

Both now and for evermore.'

...

After hearing his wife recite these verses over and over again, he knew them by heart now. But what was the point after all? God didn't listen to her prayers; He didn't protect her or their baby from all harm; He almost killed her and, in that moment, Jackson hated Him for that reason.

He closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears that kept threatening to come out. He never felt more broken in his whole entire life. He almost lost April once, when she was about to get married to Matthew, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her again and this time once and for all, because there was no coming back from death. He loved her so much more than words could say. Actually, love wasn't enough to describe what he felt for her. She was his entire world and thinking that he might lose her forever was something utterly unbearable.

"Why did you let this happen?" He asked out loud, turning to God. "Why her?" Jackson said, feeling his voice crack as a single tear fell down from his eye. He placed his head back down between his hands and without being able to control his emotions anymore, he simply cried.

He was not the man to be caught crying. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he cried, since he usually didn't like showing his emotions to this level. But now, in total despair, he couldn't hold it any longer.

"Why her?" He repeated again in a whisper. "I don't understand. April doesn't deserve this." Even though he didn't believe in God, he felt betrayed by Him. A consuming anger filled his whole body and he wanted to shout out loud how much he despised Him. Her God did nothing for her, He failed her and Jackson could not understand how He would let this happen. "She believed in you. She trusted in you. She prayed every night for your protection and yet you let this happen. What kind of God are you?"

His heart was aching with pain; a type of pain that was new to him; a kind of pain he never felt before…It was excruciating and for a second he wished he could trade places with his wife. "Take me if you want, God." He said, as tears kept falling down his eyes. "She's a better person than I am. She doesn't deserve this. Take me instead, because if you take her then…I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it. I can't live without her, God. I can't do it on my own and our baby girl needs her too. We need her. I love her so much…I need her." He continued, just wanting God to show up his face and fix things at this point. Then the first verses of Psalm 121 came to his mind again.

...

'I lift up my eyes to the mountains-

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

The Maker of heaven and earth…'

...

She used to read this Psalm so many times out loud that he, without realizing it, memorized it. He wasn't a religious person what so ever, but watching April's faith gave him a new perspective on things somehow. Jackson didn't understand faith or God or how prayer worked, but he knew that if April was here in his place, she would be praying and she would still trust in God.

It was irrational to think that God could hear him or that He would be even real, but this was not the time to be rational. No, he had been a rational man all his life and now he just needed to find some comfort, some light at the end of the tunnel, some hope. April usually said that God was her only hope and, in that moment, facing the fact that there was nothing he could do, Jackson decided to believe in her. "Oh God…" He said, taking a deep breath. "Save her. I beg you, just save her." He didn't even know if this was considered praying or not, but talking to God – whoever or wherever He was – felt right. And then he remembered their daughter and the fact that she was healthy. He couldn't deny that that was a miracle. "The baby…you already saved the baby. Thank you so much for taking care of her…for protecting her somehow. I just…I need you to protect April now. And I know I'm not the best person to be asking you for favors, since I don't even understand your ways, but…save her. Just save my wife, please God…please." He cleaned the tears on his face with his hands and with his eyes still closed he continued. "I don't want to sound selfish, but I need her…I need my wife and I need you to fix this so we can be a family. We made so many plans for us, for our family and I waited so long to have her by my side that I can't lose her now. So, please..." Somehow, talking to God made him feel more at ease and his anger slowly disappeared. Now, he just wanted to see his wife smile again and tell her how beautiful their daughter was. He just wanted for the surgery to be over as soon as possible and to see her make it through it all.

Jackson opened up his eyes and, unconsciously, he started caressing the ring on his left hand. What would he do without April? He had no idea how to move on without her. She was truly everything to him and without her life would be meaningless. And then he remembered how he had a daughter now and how he was not by himself anymore. He had someone to look after for the rest of his life. And even though he already loved his baby girl 'til the ends of the earth, thinking about the possibility of having to raise her without April hurt him like a knife stabbing him in the chest. He tried to shake these crazy thoughts from his mind, but he knew that surgeries were unpredictable and that anything could happen.

"I'm never going to forgive you if anything happens to April." He said, talking to God again. But as soon as these words came out of his mouth, he laughed, feeling as pathetic as he could feel. Who was he not to forgive God anyways? Nobody. He would never admit it, but he felt something change inside. His disbelief in God had changed and it was all because of April. He loved watching her peacefully read the bible; he secretly loved listening to her sing worship songs around the house; and he tried not to bother her when he knew she was praying. And maybe God had nothing to do with this. Maybe it was his fault. He wanted to stay home that day, cuddling with his wife, spending as much time as he could in bed with her. But no, life got in the way and he decided that work was more important. Well, work seemed more important at that moment, but if he could change the past, he wouldn't have left bed that day. So, yes…maybe it was his fault, because if he had stayed, April wouldn't have stepped on that ladder and she wouldn't have fell and he could've protected her from the earthquake and none of this would've happened. God didn't need his forgiveness; he was the one who needed it.

Looking down at the band on his finger made him think about the day he asked her if she loved him too. He remembered thinking how gorgeous she looked as she walked down the aisle to get married to another man and how much he wanted to be in Matthew's place. He remembered how nervous he was when he stood up and spoke his mind; how glad he was when she chose him, when she ran away with him; He remembered the never ending thirteen hour drive to Lake Tahoe and the simple, but beautiful wedding ceremony they had to celebrate their love and commitment to one another. They were so in love that the whole world seemed to disappear and they didn't bother calling anyone for a few days after the wedding. With that Jackson remembered he needed to call her family to let them know what happened. He had no idea how he was going to do it or how they would react. What was he supposed to say to them and how was he supposed to explain what happened? He didn't even know for sure what happened or how it happened and the first part of her surgery was a little bit of a blur. All he knew was that April was bleeding, the baby was in distress and his wife almost died. Everything else was a blur, since it happened way too fast. Plus, he didn't know if he had the strengths to make the phone call yet. He needed to pull himself together first.

The last time he saw her, she was barely alive. April lost a lot of blood and her internal bleeding was more concerning than what Alex let Jackson know. But he wasn't dumb, he knew it was serious. They had spent the last almost two hours working on her and that could only be a good sign. If she was dead by now they would have stopped trying. "God, I don't know how this works or if I'm even doing this the right way, but…bring her back to me." He prayed again, as tears filled his eyes once more. "If she is gone, bring her back to me. If she's not, then save her. Save my wife. I can't do anything to save her, but if you're God then…you can. You have the powers to save her. April trusts in you and because of that I'm going to trust in you too. Please…save my April."

He felt so tired by now. It was like all the life he had had been consumed in the past two hours and he had no energy left. So, he just let himself stand there, with his eyes closed trying to hide the tears threatening to fall down his cheeks once again. He had to be strong for his girls and he had to find a way to do it, but now he just wanted for the day to be over and for this to be a very bad dream. He wished he could just wake up from this nightmare and see how this was nothing more than that.

As he cursed once more the moment he left the house that morning he heard a door being open and the sound of footsteps. He opened his eyes and looked up at Alex. Quickly, he stood up and tried to clean his wet face the best he could. "What happened?" He asked.

Alex let out a deep breath and approached him. He noticed his friend's red eyes and how he had probably been crying, but decided not to say anything about it. "The surgery is over. We were able to stop the bleeding and hopefully she is going to be fine."

"Good." It was all Jackson could say.

"How's the baby?"

"She's great. She's healthy." He replied, looking through the window into the OR with a worried look. "Are you sure April's going to be fine?"

Alex nodded, knowing how hard this whole situation was for Jackson. "April's strong. She's a fighter and so is your daughter."

Jackson smiled, proud of his girls. But then he remember how stressful the surgery was. "I thought I lost her for a moment." He confessed, not looking directly at Alex to prevent him from finding out he was almost crying.

"I know." Alex said, thinking that for a moment he thought they were going to lose her too. He decided not to say anything about it though, because it was only going to make Jackson feel worse. "Look, Hunt's finishing up, but they're taking her to recovery soon. She's going to wake up and you're gonna have to explain everything to her. She might be confused and a little bit shocked, so…"

"Yeah, I know." He said, somehow grateful for the change of topic. He didn't want to let Alex see him cry and look as vulnerable as he was.

"Right." Alex said as he finished washing up his hands.

"Look, Karev…Thank you for everything."

"You don't have to thank me…"

"I do." He insisted. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know what could have happened. So, thank you."

"Don't worry, man." Alex said, walking to the door. "I'm just glad I could help."

…

After the surgery, April was now lying asleep in a room. Jackson was sitting on a chair next to her bed, waiting for her to wake up. He was exhausted and this whole day seemed like a crazy bad dream. He just wanted everything to be over, to go home and finally put this all behind.

He still couldn't believe what happened. It was crazy to think that a few hours ago he was leaving his home thinking it was going to be just another day when hell broke loose and everything became a mess.

The doctors reassured him that both April and the baby were going to be fine, but his heart was not yet in complete peace. He wanted to see his wife wake up and bring her their daughter and the waiting was killing him.

He wished he could close his eyes for a second and take his mind off of all the scary thoughts that kept running through it, but he couldn't since he was too afraid that something could still go wrong.

Then, he noticed how April's head started to move and how slowly she opened up her eyes.

"Hey!" He said, moving from the chair he was sitting on to take a better look at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Hum…a little tired." She replied, trying to come to her senses. Then, looking around at her surroundings she turned to Jackson. "What happened?"

"You were rushed to the hospital and we had to perform an emergency surgery to save you and the baby." He sat on the bed next to her and moved a lock of hair from her forehead, placing it behind her ear. "Karev performed part of the surgery with my help and then Dr Hunt came in and he did the rest while I took care of our baby."

Parts of the day's events came to her mind and slowly she started to remember the moment she fell, the desperation she felt when she thought she was going to lose the baby and the ambulance ride to the hospital. Then, she looked down and quickly reached a hand to her stomach. "And the baby? Did we lose our baby?"

Jackson nodded his head and replied. "The baby's fine." He noticed how frightened she was for a second with the possibility of their child being gone. "She's healthy…she's strong."

"So she is ok?" She asked, still concerned.

"She is." He reassured her, letting out a small comforting smile. "She's perfect, April. And she's so beautiful."

"Oh, thank God." She said, taking a deep breath. "Where is she?"

"In the nursery." He replied. "Do you want to see her?"

"I do." April simply nodded her head. "I want to meet my baby girl."

"Ok, I'm gonna go get her now." Jackson said, standing up. "I'll be back in a minute, ok?"

But before he could leave April grabbed his hand. "Jackson…"

He turned his attention back at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry." She said, feeling guilty for everything. "This was all my fault."

"Don't say that, honey."

"But it's true. This was all my fault and…"

"Hey! This was not your fault. None of what happened was your fault, ok?" He said, bending over to kiss her forehead. "Now, I'm gonna get our baby girl so you can meet her. You're going to love her so much, April. She's so perfect." April smiled and he could tell she had tears in her eyes. It was hard for him to know that the thought that this was her fault was going to disturb her for a long time. He didn't want her to carry this guilt. "I'll be right back."

A few minutes later Jackson reentered the room holding their daughter in his arms. She was wrapped in a pink blanket that was far too big for her, since she was so tiny. When April sensed his presence, she tried to adjust her position on the bed and with the help of a pillow she was able to sit down. Her body was swore and it was hard to move, but the anticipation of wanting to hold her daughter made all the pain go away.

"Here she is…" Jackson said, placing the baby on his wife's arms. "… Our little princess."

April looked at her baby girl for the first time and a tear fell down her cheek. This was real now and she was a mom. After everything that happened and after all the stress she was put through earlier that day, her baby was finally safe and sound in her arms. "She's so precious."

"She truly is." Jackson said, sitting down on the bed facing his girls. "She's a soldier, April, just like you are. She had to fight for her life and she did it. She fought…and so did you." April smiled at his statement and Jackson picked up with his thumb the trail of tears that were now falling down her face. "I'm so proud of my girls."

Then, April moved the little knitted hat the baby had on her head and place a soft kiss on top of it. "I love you so much." She said to her daughter, moving her free hand to caress her baby's cheeks. With her touch the baby opened up her mouth and yawned. "She's so sleepy."

"She is…" It all Jackson could say. He was completely in love with this scene. His wife and his daughter were meeting each other for the first time and his heart was about to explode with happiness. A few hours ago the world seemed that was going to end and the pain on his chest was unbearable with the thought of his two loves' lives being in danger. Now, as he watched completely mesmerized to this tender scene, he couldn't feel anything else but peace.

The baby moved and slowly started wrapping her little hand around April's finger. "Hello, princess…" She said, feeling overwhelmed by the love she was feeling inside. "I'm your mommy! Yes…I am." Then, she placed a gentle kiss on the baby's hand and turned to Jackson, noticing his thrilled smile.

He looked at her in the eyes and moved forwards, catching her lips with a loving kiss. "I love you." He said, before placing another kiss on her lips.

April smiled against his mouth, but before she could say anything else someone knocked on the bedroom door and they separated. "Can I come in?" It was Alex, who, as soon as he noticed they were having a private moment, regretted his decision to come in. "I'm sorry, I can come back later."

"No, come in." Jackson said, getting up from the bed. "You're not interrupting."

"Ok…" He said, taking a few steps closer. "How are you feeling?"

"Hum, good." April replied. "Look, Alex…I want to thank you for everything."

"Oh, don't."

"I need to." She insisted. "You saved my baby girl."

"Well, you don't have to thank me." Alex said, stepping a little closer to see the baby. "She's cute."

"I know." April agreed, completely in love with her daughter.

"It was a miracle, you know." Alex continued. "The fact that she came out without any problems…it was a true miracle."

"God was on her side." Jackson unexpectedly said, making April turn her surprised face to him. She was amazed with his comment, but decided not to say anything.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you to rest now." Alex said, turning his back to the door. "Good job, Kepner. You have a beautiful, healthy daughter. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Alex."

"You're welcome, Apes." He said, in a playful tone, before leaving the room.

...

"I should go home." Jackson said, placing the baby inside the crib a nurse put in April's room later that afternoon. It was almost 9 PM now. "I bet that with the earthquake the place must be a mess."

"Jackson…" April said, reaching for his hand. "Don't go. Stay with me."

"April, you need to rest." He said, taking her hand.

"I'll rest better with you here." She replied, pulling him towards her. "Plus, you can go home tomorrow. The baby and I have to stay here until later tomorrow anyways."

"Right."

"Stay." She begged, carefully moving to make space for him in the bed.

He knew he had no other choice and the truth was he didn't really want to be anywhere else but with her. So, he took off his shoes and lied down next to her, placing one arm around her shoulders, while she found a comfortable position resting her head on his shoulder. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm great." She replied, happy to feel the warmth of his body against hers. "I'm tired though."

"I know." He said, feeling tired as well. "You should probably sleep."

They stayed in silence for a few minutes, as their bodies started to give in to the stress and emotions of the day. But something bothered April's mind and she had to talk about it. "Jackson…"

"Yeah?" He mumbled, with his eyes closed.

"I think I died."

Her confession made him open him eyes and turn his head to face her quickly. "What?"

"When I was in surgery…" She continued, speaking in a low tone. "…I think I died."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know." She replied, playing back in her head all the fuzzy memories she had. "I remember seeing a bright light surround me and then I felt so light...so free."

"So what made you come back?"

"You." She simply said.

"Me?"

"Yes." She continued, reliving that mystic moment in her mind. "Your voice. I heard your voice calling me."

"What did I say?"

"Hum, I'm not sure, but I think you said you loved me and needed me."

He didn't know if he was more scared with the fact that she really passed away for a few minutes, or amazed with the fact that she was telling him all this without knowing that he really said those things. "Oh my gosh." He said, realizing how he really lost her for a moment. That thought made him want to hold her even tighter.

"It was so scary." She said, cuddling with him.

"I was scared too. I really thought I was going to lose the two of you." He kissed her temple softly and held her as tightly as he could. "But wait…if you were gone, then how did you come back?"

"I fought. I don't know how, but I fought." She replied, not exactly sure what else to say. "I fought to come back." April looked at her husband and stared at his green eyes. Then, she heard him whisper a caring 'I love you'. She replied with an 'I love you too', before resting her head back on his shoulder. "I guess that's why I came back…why I fought."

"Why?"

"Because love alone is worth the fight."

Jackson smiled. She couldn't be more right: love alone was worth the fight. "I prayed." He confessed.

"You prayed?" She asked, astonished with his confession. He was not the man who prayed; he was not the man who believed in God; he was not the man who had faith in what he couldn't see or touch or feel.

"I did." He continued. "I was so angry with God I started blaming him for everything. But then…I don't know…"

She noticed how embarrassed he was feeling to be caught acknowledging his need to find comfort in a higher power. So, she grabbed his hand and started caressing it softly. "What did you pray for?"

"For you, for our baby...for protection." He replied. "I still don't understand why God let this happen?"

"There's a reason for everything, Jackson." She said, proud to finally see this side of him. "Maybe God let this happen to make you come to Him…trust in Him."

"Why would he want that?"

"I don't know…because He loves us; because He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him and if you didn't find yourself in a situation like this then maybe you would have never come to Him."

Jackson thought about it for a minute, but what she said didn't seem to make much sense to him. "I don't see the point."

April, knowing this wasn't easy to understand, turned to him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, maybe one day it all make sense. Maybe one day you will understand God's plan."

"Maybe I will…" He replied. He didn't know much about faith, but he knew about love. And right now all he wanted to do was to sleep next to the love of his life. So, feeling April slowly falling asleep by his side he let his eyes close too. In that moment, after all the craziness of the day, the world was a perfect place and his love for his wife and their baby never felt more right. "April…"

"Hum?" She asked, almost falling asleep.

"What are we going to name the baby?"

"I really like the name we chose a few days ago."

"You do?"

"Why? You don't?" She asked, afraid that he might have changed his mind.

"No, I love it."

"So that's it?" She asked again. "Are you sure?"

"I am." He said, finding a better position to lay his head to sleep. "Ella Grace Avery."

"Seems like the perfect name for our little princess." April said, before letting the weight of her body sink in. She was so tired that it didn't take long for her eyes to close and for her mind to completely blank out. It was an insane day, but it was all worth it, because she made it…she survived, her baby survived and love spoke louder. "Ella Grace Avery…" She mumbled, before falling completely asleep.

…

**AN:**

Hey guys, soooo I'm back!

I'm so glad to be back. I really missed this little universe and writing for you all.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really wanted it to be focused on Jackson and his reaction to everything that was happening (I feel like sometimes the show doesn't focus enough on Jackson's POV and his feelings and stuff. Jesse is such a wonderful actor that I think he deserves more dramatic scenes. Maybe this season, who knows?!). I hope you enjoyed Jackson's conversation with God. I tried to make as realistic as I could, since Jackson doesn't believe in God, but is desperate for some comfort. And I also really hope you liked the baby's name. Ella Grace Avery seems right to me, but that's just my opinion. Seems feminine and cute and something April would choose…I don't know! It's just a name that seems to fit well.

Anyways, tell me what you think and review about the whole chapter. Please, review. Your opinions mean the word to me and I love to read them and get inspired by them.

I'll update soon (and notice that the story is coming to an end!).

Love, Annie.

PS: English's not my first language, so any mistakes you might find, let me know. :)

PS2: 'Love alone is worth the fight' is an actual song by one of my favorite bands, Switchfoot. You should definitely check it out!

PS3: I'm not a doctor, so...if you find that April was going to be released too soon...I don't know...I'm not a doctor.


	18. i see the light

2 weeks had passed since Ella's birth and both Jackson and April were now starting to realize what it meant to have a newborn at home. It was challenging trying to figure out their new routines and understanding their roles as new parents.

Ella was a sweet, quiet child. During the day she almost never cried, but at night things were different and so far there had been more sleepless nights for the young couple than peaceful ones. Luckily, after hearing about the accident both Catherine Avery and April's parents took a flight to Seattle to help them out, but they were now gone and this was their very first week alone with their newborn.

The baby had her own room, but they decided to put a crib next to their bed, since they weren't comfortable yet with leaving her alone in the nursery. Also having the crib in their room proved to be easier for them to get up in the middle of the night when Ella cried or for April to nurse her and calm her down back to sleep.

Tonight seemed to be one of those never ending nights of baby crying. It was now almost 3 AM and Jackson was the one who got up from bed to pick up the child. He figured she needed to be changed and so he moved to the nursery, where the changing table was, to clean her up. After a few minutes, he reentered the room, carrying the baby in his arms, but nothing seemed to have changed. She was still crying.

"I already changed her diaper, but she won't stop crying." Jackson said, looking as lost as ever. He tried everything he could to calm her down, but nothing seemed to work. Looking at his wife, he wished he could've been more helpful, because he knew how exhausted she was.

"Maybe she's just hungry." April, who was lying down inside the covers, sat up with her back against the bed board and reached her arms. "Hand her over."

"Here we go." He said, handing her the baby carefully.

"Oh, Ella…" April exclaimed, between a tired yawn. She caressed the baby's tiny head and placed a quick kiss on top of it. "What's wrong, baby? Are you hungry?"

She knew that crying was the only way for a baby to communicate. It was their way of somehow telling if something wasn't right. But crying could mean so many things that sometimes she had no idea what Ella needed. Could she be tired, hungry, too hot or too cold, wet or simply in need to be held and cuddled? She had no idea most of the times. Not being able to console her immediately could be frustrating and it sometimes made her think she was being a bad mother. She knew she was probably overreacting and that soon she would be able to recognize which need the baby was expressing and be able to respond accordingly to it – after all, Ella was only two weeks old and she was just starting to really get to know her - but it was still hard to see her baby crying like that.

Jackson helped his wife by adjusting the pillows on her back. While she put the baby in position and, with her free hand, opened her purple nursing pajama top, Jackson sat in front of them, on top of the covers. He couldn't help but to stare and admire that scene. As soon as Ella felt April's arms around her, she calmed down. It was like she found her safe haven and her own little world was complete. As April snuggled the baby against her body Jackson could almost see his baby's body relax. It was like the baby was surprisingly eased by the snugly warmth of her mother's body. He could imagine his child hearing the beat of April's heart and feel relaxed by how peacefully it beat. He could picture his daughter smelling the natural scent of her mother's skin and be comforted by its familiarity. He could see how the baby was looking directly at April as she breastfed her and how April's eyes, even though were sleepy, were full of love. She was so patient with the baby and so kind. She didn't rush things or sighed in despair when the baby was taking too long to be fed. He knew how much she loved having these small moments with her daughter and how she saw them as the perfect opportunity to bond with her. It was like for those few minutes Ella and his wife were having a moment of their own, as if they were building an unbreakable bond. Their intimacy was the most beautiful thing Jackson had ever seen and as he stared at them he realized that those were his baby girl and his wife…the two people he loved the most in the world. He had never experienced this kind of love before and he was still overwhelmed by it. With the baby's birth it felt like his black and white world had exploded into Technicolor and his love for this little girl made him understand he had never known the depths of his heart. Ella's birth marked the first day of his new life and it changed everything in him and in how he saw the outside world. He felt like he was now rediscovering everything, but this time seeing things from her point of view. She was so innocent, so fragile and he knew that from the first moment he laid his eyes on her she had his whole heart on the palm of her tiny little hands.

April was tired and sleepy, but she knew how important it was to have a special bonding time while breastfeeding. She also knew how relaxed her baby felt when she was relaxed and how nursing was a way to put the baby back to sleep. She looked down at her baby's expressive eyes and for a second thanked God for the fact that Ella had taken over her father and inherited his gorgeous eyes. Her heart was filled with love and even though she was exhausted there was nothing she wouldn't do for her baby girl. Knowing how the sound of her voice also calmed the baby down, April touched Ella's little arm and caressed it. Then, she opened up her mouth and started singing a softly.

.

"All those days watching from the windows  
All those years outside looking in  
All that time never even knowing  
Just how blind I've been  
Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight  
Now I'm here, suddenly I see  
Standing here, it's all so clear  
I'm where I'm meant to be

And at last I see the light  
And it's like the fog has lifted  
And at last I see the light  
And it's like the sky is new  
And it's warm and real and bright  
And the world has somehow shifted  
All at once everything looks different  
Now that I see you"

.

She learned this sweet melody when, a few months ago, she bought a compilation of Disney movies soundtracks played in the form of baby lullabies. She loved the songs so much that when she heard this song for the first time she fell in love with it and played it over and over for her baby, who was still in the womb, to hear. Somehow, she managed to memorize the words and just a couple days ago she realized how Ella loved hearing this song and how, in a way, it calmed her down.

She was usually shy when it came to singing in front of people, but Jackson was the only one there watching her and she figured there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Plus, as soon as the baby started hearing her voice, she closed her eyes.

April continued looking down at her, slowly rocking her in her arms. She knew Ella was starting to fall asleep, because she wasn't sucking as fast.

.

"All those days chasing down a daydream  
All those years living in a blur  
All that time never truly seeing  
Things, the way they were  
Now she's here shining in the starlight  
Now she's here, suddenly I know  
If she's here it's crystal clear  
I'm where I'm meant to go."

.

Jackson couldn't help, but smile. He was completely amazed by what he was seeing. April's voice was smooth and incredibly tender. He knew she had a good voice, but watching how it instantly made Ella feel at ease put things on a totally different perspective.

Actually, after seeing April go through her pregnancy in such an elegant way and bravely fight to stay alive while giving birth made him see her from a whole new perspective. She was no longer just his best friend or naughty love. And he couldn't be happier to have her as his wife and as the mother of his child. She was so strong and even after taking the step towards the afterlife, she managed to come back. And she was so, so, so beautiful. She had a special glow about her, especially now that she had become a mother. He knew she didn't feel special at all, but he couldn't disagree more. Looking at her, in her maternity purple pajamas, with her hair pulled up in a messy bun and face without any traces of make-up, she never looked more stunning in his eyes.

After all they had been through, it felt like it had been a thousand years since the beginning of everything. And it surely felt like he had loved her for a thousand years. Yet, he had no doubt in his mind that he would love for a thousand more.

Now, looking back at the past, he knew that things were meant to end up like this from the start. Jackson knew that every step of their long, long way was meant to lead to this moment right here…a moment of profound happiness.

As she continued to sing, he couldn't help but to pay attention to the lyrics of the song. They fitted perfectly. It was like he was living in a blur, in a dark, heavy cloud and the marriage with April followed by the birth of his child made him see things perfectly. His was where he was supposed to be, life had a meaning after all and everything seemed different. He was finally able to see the light. April and Ella were his light.

.

"And at last I see the light  
And it's like the fog has lifted  
And at last I see the light  
And it's like the sky is new  
And it's warm and real and bright  
And the world has somehow shifted  
All at once everything looks different…

…Now that I see you"

.

When April stopped singing they both looked at each other, then back to the baby. April kissed the top of Ella's head and smiled.

"She fell asleep?" Jackson asked, leaning over to take a better look.

"She did." April replied in a whisper, noticing how the baby stopped sucking, letting go of her nipple. "She loves this song."

"It's a beautiful song." Jackson said, placing a kiss on Ella's tiny hand. "And you're beautiful too, baby."

"She's so gorgeous, Jackson." April stated, not ready yet to let go of her daughter. She loved feeling her warmth against her skin and how she softly breathed in her sleep.

"She's gorgeous because she looks like you." He said, kissing her shoulder as he helped her close her top.

"Hum…Well, she has your eyes and her hair is curly too." April said, noticing how the baby looked more like Jackson than with her. "She's taking after you…completely."

"Not completely." He replied, taking a better look. "I think she has the shape of your chin and the nose…the nose is completely yours."

"Jackson, she has the exact same shape of your nose." April stated.

"I don't see that!" He said, nodding his head.

"Yeah, well…even if she looks exactly like you, I don't mind." April said, being truthful with her statement. "My husband's so handsome that I simply don't mind."

"But I do!" He affirmed, reaching for the baby to put her back on the crib.

"Why?" April said, handing him the baby after placing one last kiss on her.

"Because I would like to have a mini you running around." He replied, quietly not to wake the baby up again.

"But why?"

"Because…" He started, making his way back to bed, slipping inside the cover. "…my wife is absolutely stunning. Because I love everything about you…from the dimple you get on your left cheek when you smile, to the mole you have right here…" He said, cupping her face and kissing her right in between of her eyebrows. "So I hope she looks exactly like you when she grows up, because you are absolutely stunning."

April blushed at the sound of his words and tangled herself in his arms. "Thanks." She shyly said.

"For what?" He wondered, before reaching his arm to turn off the nightstand light and snuggle with her.

"For making me feel like a million bucks even when I'm wearing my sweaty pajamas and have dark bags under my eyes."

"You always look like a million bucks, April." He reassured her, trying to make her feel better about her appearance. Being a new mom was tough and her body had changed in the process. "Actually, no! You don't…because you're priceless. And you're mine…all mine!"

"I am, huh?" April quietly laughed. "Even when I'm full of imperfections?"

"Yes, even with all your perfect imperfections." Jackson replied, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her closer.

April closed her eyes and felt the beat of his heart. In his arms she found the comfort their daughter felt not so long ago in her own arms. "We make really cute babies though. What else can I say?"

"We surely do!" Jackson replied, smiling. "Practice makes perfect and we practiced a lot. That's why she's so perfect."

"We should totally practice more." April said, almost falling asleep. "For the next time."

"Yeah, we should. As soon as we can, we will." He said, falling asleep as well, but thinking about the doctor's orders to stay away from any sexual activity for a few weeks. "And when the time comes, all of me is going to love all of you…all your curves, your soft skin, your lips, your breasts, your legs…from the tip of your toes to the top of your head…and I'm going to cover your whole body with kisses."

"That sounds good." She said, barely awake now.

"All of me is going to love all of you…completely." He finally said. Then, he placed one kiss on the top of her nose and slowly fell asleep.

…

**AN:**

Hi!

New chapter. It's small, I know. But what did you think about it?

I wanted to write something sweet, where you could see Jackson's love for the baby grow, but also his love for his wife and admiration grow as well.

Now, as you could tell I was inspired by three songs: 'I see the light', 'A thousand years' and 'All of me'.

I know that 'I see the light' from Tangled is not exactly a lullaby song, but it seemed to fit the situation so well and the lyrics are just beautiful. As I was looking for a song to fit in, this was the only one that came to my mind over and over again.

The last part of the chapter is to reaffirm that even though they're new parents, they're still sexual beings, in love with each other and with a huge desire for each other. They were tired and trying to handle the situation, but they're still themselves (and in my mind Jackson and April are a very sexually active couple!)

Anyways, leave your review and tell me what you think. Thanks so much for the past reviews. They really make me happy and inspire me to write more and better.

Now, to tell you the truth I think I'm going to write two more chapters of this story and then end it. We'll see what comes next! All I need is inspiration and the words will flow.

Well, I hope you liked the chapter and enjoy reading the rest of the story.

Leave your review and you're welcome to send me a PM anytime you want.

I'll update soon.

Love, Annie

PS: English's not my first language, so any mistakes let me know.

PS2: As I said all I need inspiration to write. Inspiration comes at night and I usually finish these chapters at 2 AM (where I live) and so if you find any misspelling mistakes or for example 'now' when I clearly meant 'know', I'm sorry…my eyes get blurry at night. I don't know. I'm sorry.


	19. breathe on me

**(kind of) Rated M!**

…

Ella was born almost three months ago and now was the first time Jackson and April had arranged to spend some time together alone. They booked a cabin in the woods, just thirty minutes outside of the city and were going to spend the night there. They decided to leave the baby with Arizona and Callie and were now saying their good-byes.

"So, if she cries a lot, call us, ok?" April said.

"She'll be fine." Arizona said.

"I know, but still…" She was having a hard time handing her daughter away. "Oh, right...I almost forgot to tell you, but I think I pumped enough milk to make it through the night and tomorrow morning. But if it ends and she's still hungry, I put baby formula in the bag and all you have to do is…"

"April, I'm pretty sure I can make baby formula." Arizona cut her off, knowing she was about to jump into a rant. "And stop worrying."

"I know, it's just…" She said, looking at the baby in her arms. "…it's the first time I'm gonna spend the night away from her and is hard."

"But she'll be fine with us. Look, Callie must be coming home soon with Sophia. And Ella is such a cute baby…" Arizona continued. "Plus, you deserve a night out. You're a new mom, you must be tired."

"I'm not tired…I'm just…"

"April, c'mon!" Arizona stated, knowing she was probably lying. "Go! Have fun. I bet you and Avery are dying to have some alone time…if you know what I mean!"

April blushed, but didn't have time to say anything, since Jackson entered the room in that moment. "Ok, I put the bottles in the fridge and her bag in the room."

"Are you sure you're okay with staying with her for the night?" April asked Arizona. Her friend smiled and reassured her she was more than okay with it. With that, April kissed the top of Ella's head and squeezed her as much as she could. "Bye, baby. Momma loves you." Then, she handed her over to Jackson, who did the same thing. "Look, if anything happens…and I mean anything…just call, ok! Call and we'll be here in a second."

"Don't worry!" Arizona said, taking Ella from Jackson's arms.

…

They headed to the cabin and had dinner together in the bedroom's porch. Everything was more than great. It was the first time in a really long time they actually found time to have conversations and laugh and just forget about the world for a minute.

It was a little past 10 PM when April excused herself to go to the bathroom. She had it all planned out and she wanted to make everything right. Tonight was a special night: they were having sex for the first time since Ella's birth.

She grabbed the traveling bag she brought with her and closed the door of the bathroom.

After a few long minutes inside, she was ready to come out again. So, she took a deep breath and looked at her reflection in the mirror. In her head, she didn't look as good as she wanted to. She still carried a little bit of baby weight around her tummy and somehow she felt like she didn't belong to her own body. And then she thought about Jackson. He was probably waiting for her and wondering what was going on in the bathroom. She was taking too long to come out.

She reached for the perfume bottle she had inside of her travelling back and sprayed it on her neck. Then, she fixed her hair with her hands and adjusted her cleavage. After taking one more look at the mirror, she finally opened the bathroom door and took a peek. He was still in the balcony, with a glass of wine in his hand.

He was sitting with his back to the entrance of the room and so she approached him from behind. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she slowly slid them down to his chest. Then, she leaned in and whispered into his ear. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

Jackson smiled and put down the glass of wine on the table in front of him. He smelled the pleasant aroma of her perfume as she leaned closer against him and opened the first two buttons of his shirt.

She unbuttoned his shirt, sliding one hand inside of it. He was about to turn around, but she quickly covered his eyes with both of her hands and stopped his movement. "No!" She said, in a low tone. "Not yet."

"Why?" He asked, not aware until that moment that she was hiding something from him.

"I need you to close your eyes." She replied. He put his hands on top of her hands, still trying to figure out what was happening. "Please. Close your eyes and follow me."

"Follow you?"

"Yes." She answered. "Will you do that?"

"Yeah, but why?" He asked, more curious than ever.

"Just trust me." April said. When Jackson nodded his head in agreement, she moved her hands from his eyes to his hands. Then, she helped him get up and walked back into the bedroom. Feeling her heart beat fast against her chest, she sat him down on the edge of the bed.

Jackson sat down, with her help, on the edge of the bed and let go of her hand. He could feel her standing in front of her and keeping his eyes still closed, he started moving his hands down her legs.

She allowed him to feel her legs and as soon as his fingers touched the surface of her skin, she felt a chill up and down her spine. It was the first time in months he touched her like that and she almost forgot how good it felt.

"Can I open my eyes now?" He asked, sensing from the touch of his hands and the length of what she was wearing that she didn't have on the same outfit as before.

"No." She replied once again, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Why?" He said, moving his hands from her thighs to her waist. "What's wrong with me opening my eyes?"

"Well…" She started, having to think for a second. "…I just…I need to gain some confidence first."

"Confidence?" He wondered, thinking exactly he knew what she was about to say next.

"Jackson, I'm ready." She said, touching his jaw with her hands now. "I am ready…if you know what I mean."

"Ok…"

"But, I didn't recover completely." She finally confessed. "I don't have my old body back yet."

He was right. He knew she was about to say that and, in a way, it hurt him to know she didn't feel confident enough in her new body. "Babe, I don't care about…"

"But I do!" She cut him off. "And even if you say you don't care, I know you do too."

Jackson didn't say anything for a second. How could she think that? Didn't she already know how much he loved and admired her? She carried his baby for months, gave birth to her and treated her like a little princess every day. What else could he want more? The way her body looked was the last of his priorities. "April, since I know that there's nothing I can say that's going to make you change your mind, then let me do it." He said, hugging the flesh around her waist. "Let me show you how much I love you…and your body."

Her self-confidence was in a low at the moment, but she was a new mom and getting back into shape was hard. Nevertheless, she knew he was right and there was nothing he could say to make her change her mind. He already said enough times how beautiful she looked. Now it was time for her to believe in that too. So, April grabbed his hands and took two steps backwards. Taking a deep breath she simply said. "You can open your eyes now."

He opened up his eyes and his mouth dropped to the floor. She was wearing a black see-through lacy chiffon babydoll, with ruffles around the shoulders. Her bigger breasts filled the cleavage perfectly and since the babydoll parted in the middle, he could fully see her barely there stomach. On the bottom, she was wearing a racy black thong. "April…" he started to say, thinking about how she was lying to him, since her body was almost the way it was before. However, he got distracted when he looked down and noticed that her legs were covered by a pair of thigh high matching stockings, which had little bows on the top. "Uau…you look…"

"You liked it?" She asked, biting her lower lip.

"If I liked it?" He said, still amazed by her figure. "You got me speechless…I don't even know what to say. You look…so…"

"So what?"

"Sexy. So sexy!" He finally found the words he was looking for. Then, Jackson pulled her closer again. She took two steps forward and placed her hands back on his shoulders. Since he was sitting down on the edge of the bed, she was taller than him and his face was right in front of her chest, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage. As hungry as he could be, he grabbed her by the waist and let her fit in front of his legs. Then, he buried his face on her breasts, kissing them against the fabric of her babydoll.

"Wait…" She requested, pulling his head away. April stepped away from him and moved to a table placed in the opposite direction. She wanted this moment to be perfect and so she, before heading into the bathroom, got her Ipod ready to play. "Music!" She said, as the first chords of a slow R&B song started echoing through the bedroom walls.

"You planned this, didn't you?" He asked, seeing her approach him again. 'Damn, she looks sexy', he thought.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't." She replied, grabbing him by his collar.

He grabbed her butt and squeezed it, making her come closer to his body. Then, he moved his head down and started kissing her belly. She placed her hands around his head and closed her eyes in pleasure. She missed his touch so much that now every little thing he did felt like magic on her body. His lips made their way up to her chest, while his hands travelled back down to her thighs. "I never saw this outfit before." He said, in between kisses. April had a small collection of sexy lingerie, but this one was a brand new one and he knew it. He loved seeing her in these kind of pieces, but her choice for tonight was absolutely driving him crazy.

"It's a new one." She stated, knowing that he must've been dying to see her in one of her sexy pieces for the past few months. "It's from Victoria's Secret. Do you like it?"

He looked up at her with a grin. Then, he pulled her towards him and made her sit on his lap with her legs spread against his groin. "I love it." He replied. Her perfume was making him lose his senses and he just wanted to crave his lips on her neck.

Once he attacked her neck, she let out a moan. He always liked to tease her on her soft spot and she could feel herself losing her mind as he pressed his lips against her skin. He was still fully clothed, but she wanted to feel him closer. So, she started to unbutton the rest of his shirt, while rocking herself against his groin. Jackson stopped kissing her neck and stared directly into her eyes as she stripped him down. She had that kind of look he loved so much: she was biting her lower lip once again and at the same time she had a naughty stare in her eyes. It was like she had the ability of looking sweet, innocent and angelic, but extremely sensual all at once.

His shirt was finally dropped to the floor and as soon as she took a look at his defined muscles all the senses in her body went up. How could this be possible? How could one man be this hot? This time, she was the one to attack his neck, licking it as she made her way down his chest. When she reached the bottom of his neck, she moved her lips to his right shoulder and craved her teeth in it, biting his flesh as an animal devouring its prey.

"April…" He whispered when he felt her teeth on his skin. She kept rocking herself against his groin and he was losing it completely. So, he grabbed her cascading hair gently and made her look directly at him. She instantly knew what he needed and she quickly planted a kiss on hip lips. He deepened the kiss by opening up his mouth to let their tongues meet. His hands were travelling up and down April's thighs and feeling the fabric of her stockings against his skin was driving him insane. She never wore stockings before and he thought she never looked sexier.

April could feel him being more and more aroused by the second and she loved the feeling of power she always got when she found him in that position. So she decided to tease him a little bit more, by breaking up the kiss and getting up from his lap. Then, she bent over him and ran her fingers through his bare chest. She could feel his eyes glued to her cleavage and the burning desire coming out of them.

Jackson watched as she put her right leg on top of his knee and started sliding it towards his groin. He was still wearing his pants, but he knew that in a few minutes he would have to take them off, since they were becoming too tight around his crotch. Then, he completely lost his mind when she started caressing his groin with her foot. She had a special grin on her lips and he knew she was teasing him as best as she could.

She saw him close his eyes when her right foot gently touched the fabric that covered his growing erection and when his hands grabbed her leg and his lips started planting soft kisses on it, she knew that he was trying to maintain some self-control. April caressed the top of his head as he did so.

He moved her leg from his member to gain a better access to what he wanted to kiss next. So, he made his way up her leg, through her thigh and when he finally reached her groin, he placed his lips there and licked it, letting his tongue travel to her panties. Then, he grabbed her behind and pulled her body closer to his. Her center was right in front of his face and so he kissed it through the fabric of her black thong. The moan she let out when his lips touched her made him wish he could just rip the thong she was wearing with his teeth and pleasure her completely.

April felt his lips against her thong and grabbed the back of his head to feel him closer. She was now feeling that it was too hot in the room and she needed some air. His lips were driving her crazy and he didn't even touch her skin yet. She could only imagine what she would feel when she actually got rid of her thong. Then, with a sudden movement he got up from the bed and grabbed her hands. Unconsciously, she took a few steps backwards and stopped only when her body touched the wall.

Jackson held April's hands above her head and clamped her body against the wall. The lust in her eyes and the hard breaths that were coming out of her mouth made him want her even more. So, he started kissing her neck again, but this time his lips made a little bit more pressure against her pale skin.

She let out a small cry and wondered how much more she could take. Then, she was able to free her hands and quickly made her way to his pants. She could feel his smile against her skin as she unzipped his jeans. She pulled them down and he kicked them away. After that, she slipped one hand inside his grey boxers and, when she grabbed his erection, he stopped kissing her neck. It was like he was suddenly aware of her touch and couldn't focus on what he was doing previously.

He hadn't been touched by her like this in a while and when he felt her small hand grab his member his mind went into a complete blank. He simply had time to support his forehead on her shoulder and enjoy. But, after a few seconds, the scent of her perfume took over his senses once again. He just wanted to breathe on her… to breathe her. He made her take her hand off of inside of his boxers and, while she looked at him curiously, he slid them down his legs.

She smiled when she found himself completely naked in front of her. Without saying a word, she felt his hands grab her butt and pull her up. She opened up her legs and placed them around his waist. April felt their proximity, but she was still fully clothed. Then, he carried her to the bed.

He lied her down in the bed and stared at her for a minute. She looked beautiful every day, but tonight she had a different aura around her. It was like she had been transformed into this unusual angel, who was twisting and confusing him with all her deep secrets and desires. She was so unpredictable and tonight she proved yet again to be a mystery to him. He knew they were coming to this cabin to make love to each other and have a break from parenthood, but he never expected for her to plan everything and dress up like this. Even the music that was still playing on the background was different than what she would usually listen to – it was soft, romantic and sensual. And the fact that the room was only lighten up by the bright moon outside, made her figure look even more mysterious to him.

"What?" She asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Nothing." He replied, leaning down to her. "I was just admiring you." He didn't let her reply, kissing her full in the mouth. After the baby was born they still took the time to kiss and cuddle, but this was different. It was the first time in months where they could actually feel each other and in that moment he realized now how much he had missed her taste.

He explored her mouth for a while, but then his lips moved on to her collarbone, where he planted a trail of kisses. Moving further down, he found her cleavage and her fuller breasts. She was still wearing her black lacy babydoll, but since it was see-through he could see her body perfectly. Still amazed by how good she looked only a couple months after giving birth, he craved his teeth on her hard left nipple.

April felt his teeth on her nipple and cried in pleasure. They felt so sensitive, that she had to grab the back of his neck to find some support. "Jackson…" She moaned.

Jackson took a second to look up at her pleasured face and smiled. Since the babydoll opened in the middle, right under her chest, he let his hands travel alongside her waist as he put his lips together and blew against the skin of her belly. He could feel April's body shivering and he noticed she had goose bumps all over her. When he reached the top of her thong, he licked his lips and slowly proceeded to slid it down her legs using his teeth and his hands. He had waited long enough and it was now time to unwrap her beautiful figure. She was so lost in her own imagination, that she didn't even say a word. As he slid down her thong, he took the opportunity to kiss her legs. Slowly, he pressed his lips against the fabric of her stockings and when the thong was at her feet, he threw it away. Then, he went up again to meet her center. She intuitively opened up her legs and when she felt his breath against her, she grabbed the pillow behind her head with both of her hands and squeezed it. The anticipation was killing her and she wanted to feel him at last. However, he wasn't done with teasing her just yet. Knowing how aroused she was, he simply blew softly against her wet center. Making love to her went beyond the physical aspect of things. He wanted to take her over the edge, make her lose control and help her let it all out. Then, he stopped what he was doing and went up to meet her lips again. As he did so, he could feel his hard member so close to her entrance. He didn't want to enter her just yet, but he was so close he could feel her wetness against him.

She placed her hands on his chest as he kissed her. She wanted him so badly, but for some reason he didn't want to give himself in just yet. As their tongues moved together, she felt like she was running out of breath. Their kisses were so passionate that they didn't even leave room for them to breathe. Just as she was about to pull away from the kiss, he pulled away first. Then, he stood up and sat on the bed, taking her hands at the same time to help her do the same. They were now sitting face to face; her legs were entangled on his body and his lips were craved on the crook of her neck once again. April felt his hands touch the hem of the babydoll she was wearing and, as if they could read each other's minds, she held up her arms above her head. He slowly stripped the piece of clothing off her body.

Jackson stared deeply into her eyes for a moment. Then, he felt the need to inhale her scent again. It was like he was charmed by her perfume. While he buried his nose into her neck, his hands traveled down her legs. Her hands followed him and as she was about to take off her stockings, he stopped her. "Leave them on." He said, in a husky tone. She smiled and placed her hands on his shoulders. Now there was nothing separating them, but the sweat of their own bodies. He felt his wife moving closer to him, ready to take her place. Her moans continued, but more aggressively this time, and he knew she had had enough of his teasing. So, he inhaled her skin one more time before looking up at her again. She placed a quick kiss in his lips and then, lifting up her body, she found her way to him. When he entered her, he felt her body tense up. It was like she had finally found what she was looking for.

Their bodies moved synchronized as their moans filled the air. This was all they needed after all.

…

April woke up the next day and looked at her side. Jackson was sleeping next to her with his chest facing the mattress and since the sheet only covered his legs, she could see his naked bottom. They had an amazing night of sex and fell asleep naked in each other's arms. Now, as the sun rose up, she realized she was a mother now. She loved Jackson, but she was missing their daughter.

She sat against the bed board and pushed the sheet to cover her breasts. Looking around she couldn't find her phone, nor remember where she had left it the night before. She felt Jackson move next to her. When she looked at him, he had his sleepy eyes open and was about to turn around to face her.

"Good-morning." He said, with a somnolent voice.

"Hi, babe." She replied, leaning over to him to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." She said, watching him grab the sheet to cover his body. "It's nothing. It's just…I'm worried about Ella."

"I know." He said. "It's weird waking up without her here."

"I miss her."

"I miss her too." He agreed, somehow feeling an emptiness over the fact that he was so used by now to waking up with the cries of his baby. "Do you want to call Arizona to see how Ella spent the night?"

"I want to, but I don't remember where I left my phone and I'm too lazy to get off bed and look for it."

"Ok, well…" He said, turning to the night stand on his side, to grab his phone. "Use mine."

April dialed Arizona's phone number and after a few rings she finally picked up. "Hi. I'm sorry to be calling you this early, but I couldn't help wondering how the baby spent the night. Is she ok?" She heard Arizona giving her all the details about last night. "So she cried for a while, but then you fed her and she calmed down?...Ok!" She felt her heart a little more at ease. Her baby seemed ok. "Hum…last night?" Arizona was now asking about last night. She didn't want to give much away, but the truth was that last night was one of the best nights she had in a very long time. "Last night was amazing." She turned to Jackson and smiled, noticing how he had a silly grin on his face. "Hum…are you sure? We don't want to bother you and Ella already spent the night with you guys and…Are you sure? Well, thank you, Arizona. Thank you so much. Ok, see you later. Bye."

When April hung up the call she placed the phone on the nightstand and slid down inside the covers. "What did she say?" Jackson asked, holding her by the waist.

"She said Ella cried a little bit, but that's normal. She ate well and was sleeping now." She replied, cuddling into his arms. "She also offered to stay with her for the rest of the day."

"The rest of the day?"

"Yeah! We only have to pick her up later in the afternoon." She informed him, closing her eyes. "I took her offer."

"Oh, that's great." He said, finding a comfortable position holding her body.

"Yeah, then we get to sleep in and get some rest." She stated, placing her hands on his chest. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He said, knowing exactly what she meant. Then, he placed one kiss on her forehead and closed his eyes as well.

…

**AN:**

Hey guys,

So I decided to write a sexy chapter. What did you think about it? Tell me and please, please review. You have no idea how important your reviews are. They mean the world to me and they really inspire me.

By the way, the title of this chapter (Breathe on me) was inspired by a Britney Spears' song with the same name. It's a very sexy song and it kept coming into my mind as I wrote this chapter. Listen to it and feel all the sexiness I wanted to portray here!

Now, as I told you before I'm planning on writing one more chapter and that's it for this story. So yeah…next chapter will be the last one.

Thank you so much for all the support, for all your reviews, PMs, love and respect. Thank you so, so much for reading this story and for reviewing.

Anyways, I'll update the last chapter as soon as I can.

Thank you so much again.

Love, Annie.

PS: By now you probably know English's not my 1st language, so…yeah!


	20. home

**Be prepared for some sexy scenes.**

**And enjoy the last chapter!**

**.**

_A few months ago_

April looked at the image in the mirror and took a deep breath. She grabbed a tissue and cleaned the corner of her eyes, fixing her make-up. About 13 hours ago her make-up looked perfect and so did her hair and her dress. Now, she felt like she looked like a mess. Actually, no…she was a mess inside and out. How did this happen? How did she get here? How did things escalated so quickly? How could all this make sense?

Well, the truth was it didn't make any sense…none of it did. She was supposed to be a married woman by now and she was supposed to be in her honeymoon. Instead, there she was: inside of a random bathroom, in a random hotel lobby, looking at her figure in the mirror, trying desperately not to freak out.

'The hell with it', she thought as she gave up retouching her make-up. She was trying to look nice for him, but after a 13 hour drive it wasn't easy to look her best. Then, she decided to take care of the mess that was her hair. She took off her veil a long time ago and it was forgotten somewhere in the back of Jackson's car. Now the up-do was falling off and the least she could do was free her hair. So, she placed her hands behind her head and started taking off the bobby pins that held the braid together. Slowly, she started freeing her hair from the beautiful up-do she had a few hours ago. When it was all down, she ran her fingers through it, to break the knots. Somehow she felt lighter.

She looked down at the wedding gown she was still wearing. A few hours ago it was perfectly ironed and it fitted her like a glove. Now it was full of little creases that wouldn't go away even if she kept pressing her hands against them all day. But what was she supposed to do? Get married naked? No. Plus, Jackson told her it would be ok, that she looked beautiful anyways. She believed in him. The truth was that she believed in him, because he was the only one she had. She needed to believe in him.

Yes, they took a 13 hour drive to another state to get married. 'How crazy was that?' she thought. She shook her head trying to push away her fears and doubts, because, after all, this was all she ever wanted. And even though she was about to get married to another man a few hours ago, the nervous feeling she had now couldn't even compare to what she felt back then.

She didn't remember much about the drive from Seattle to Lake Tahoe. All she remembered was that in one moment she was about to say 'I do' to one man, and the other she was running away with Jackson; one moment she was freaking out and begging him to stop the car, and in the other she was accepting his sudden proposal.

It was like the past 13 hours were a blur in her mind. She remembered Jackson talking on the phone with a person from a hotel somewhere here, he was setting everything together and arranging everything that needed to be done. She was so nervous the whole trip and her mind was working so fast, trying to process everything that she didn't even sleep.

13 hours later, here they were and everything was ready and all she needed to do was to step out the door and meet him. She just needed a moment to put herself together and allow herself to be happy. Yes, she deserved to be happy despite everything that happened. She knew she had a mess to fix back in Seattle and she couldn't even think about Matthew without feeling an anguishing guilt, but right now she was going to be happy. This was her moment to finally be happy. No more pride, no more anger, no more stubbornness, no more remorse…she was going to be happy, because she was about to marry her best friend.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Miss? Are you ready?"

"Yes. I'll be out in a minute." She replied. Then, she placed her hands on her stomach and took a deep breath. The nerves were consuming her completely and she had to calm down before leaving. "You can do this." She said to herself as she looked one more time into the mirror. "God, help me do this."

Then, she passed her fingers through her hair one last time and smiled. She was happy. This was her moment. She deserved to be happy. She was finally getting her happy ending. And it was time to go live it.

When she stepped outside the hotel lobby, she felt the chilly breeze in her skin. Then, she walked to where the small ceremony was taking place. She couldn't even understand how Jackson pulled it out together with such little time, but he did it.

Lake Tahoe was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen and it was where she was getting married. Jackson Avery was a man full of surprises, but she never took him for a romantic guy and this was the most romantic place she could ever think of.

They were getting married in a field, facing the mountains, surrounded by trees and wildflowers and all of those things respecting with nature. She had been planning her wedding since she was a little girl and he nailed it without even looking at her old scrapbooks or asking her for advice. It was like he had read her mind clearly. This was everything she ever wanted and even more. It was perfect.

After taking a few steps she stopped. There he was, standing in the distance, waiting for her in the same now wrinkled tuxedo he was wearing before. He was in the company of the minister who performing the ceremony.

When he noticed her, a huge smile appeared on his face. It was sunny outside, which made her figure look even brighter. She looked like an angel walking towards him. Her fiery red hair was now cascading down her shoulder in waves, she had her hands crossed against her waist and a beautiful divine aura around her.

As she was about to reach him, she noticed how his eyes had a different spark about them. She couldn't contain her happiness anymore and a huge grin appeared on her face. This was it…there was no running back now. They were getting married.

When she reached him, he took her hands and kissed them softly. April smiled and let out a shy "Hi."

He kissed her shaky hands and looked at her. She looked stunning even after a 13 hour drive. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." She replied. "You look very handsome yourself."

"Are you ready?" The minister asked. They both nodded and faced him. "Jackson and April, before you knew love, you were friends, and it was from this seed of friendship that is now your destiny. Marriage is the clasping of hands, the blending of hearts, the union of two lives as one. Marriage is caring as much about the happiness of your partner as your own. It is looking outward in the same direction together. Marriage makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger, so that you can be involved with life in ways you dare not risk alone. To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you truly want the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open and honest with one another and to learn and grow together. It will take faith, to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment, to hold true to the journey you both promised today to share together. An intimate and secure relationship is not based on promises, but rather on trust, respect, faithfulness and the ability to forgive. A lasting marriage is based on all of these, bound together by love."

April could hear the minister speaking, but she couldn't focus in the words that were coming out of him mouth. Her heart kept beating hard against her chest and she had to control her breath or she would start hyperventilating soon. The fact that Jackson was holding her hand was enough to keep her feet grounded. If not, she doubted that her knees would let her be standing like that. But the truth was, despite all her nerves, she couldn't be happier. She was living a dream right now and it was hard to let it all sink in.

Jackson's eyes rested on April's figure for a moment. He knew she was nervous and the fact was he was too. However, he decided not to let it show. He had to be strong for her and for himself as well.

Then the minister turned to Jackson and asked if he would take April as his wife, to which he replied 'I do'. He turned to April and asked her the same thing. As April said her 'I do' Jackson thought about how two so simple words could sound so right.

"You may repeat after me." The minister said.

"I, Jackson, take you, April, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part."

When it was her time to say her vows, he noticed how she had tears in her eyes and how she was making an effort not to cry. Seeing his beautiful bride hold back the tears, made him feel emotional too.

Then the minister asked for the rings, which Jackson, who was holding them in his pocket, gave away. "The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity. It is an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in endless love. And now, as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you may place a ring on the finger of your bride."

"April, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you." Jackson said, as he placed the band on April's finger.

Then the minister spoke again, this time turning to April. "By the same token, you may place a ring on the finger of your groom."

April took the ring in her hand and placed it around Jackson's finger. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you." She said, with a smile spread across her face.

"May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this union." The minister went on. "Your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever you go, may you always return to one another. May you find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May you grow in understanding and in compassion. May these rings, on your fingers, symbolize your love."

Jackson looked at April with a grin on his face and then the minister concluded. "April and Jackson, you have expressed your love to one another through the commitment and promises you have just made. It is with these in mind that I now pronounce you husband and wife." The minister turned to him and said. "Jackson, you may kiss your lovely bride."

Jackson took a couple steps and grabbed April by the waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. Then, his lips planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you." He whispered. She smiled, cupped his face with her hands and kissed him again. This time, the kiss was deeper and warmer.

With the help of the minister they took a few photos, but they soon made their way to the bedroom.

It was a simple, but elegant suite that Jackson was able to book over the phone. He carried her inside the room and deposited her carefully on top of the bed. Then, he placed himself on top of her as they kissed deeply.

It was like they were exploring each other's tastes for the first time. They were still fully clothed, but Jackson somehow managed to take off his shoes and jacket in between kisses. He missed her taste and the sweet flavor of her lips. She missed feeling the weight of his body on top of hers and the way his strong arms surrounded her figure.

Jackson moved his lips to her neck, right where he knew she had her soft spot. He missed the captivating smell of her skin and the way she made small noises as his unshaved beard tickled her neck.

When she started unbuttoning his shirt she noticed how her hands were still a little shaky. Why was she nervous about this? He knew her body, he had seen it before and explored it like no other. There was no reason for her to be nervous.

Jackson got rid of his shirt and focused again on her lips. He missed kissing her lips so much that he used to stare at them when nobody was looking, thinking about how he wanted to taste them once again. But that was the past and now he was her husband, she was wife and he was going to be able to kiss her mouth anytime he wanted to and right now there was nothing he wanted more than to kiss her.

April missed feeling his body pressed against hers and she missed feeling his member grow against her. She missed the way she used to tease him until there was nothing left for him to do, but to strip down his pants and have his way with her. Now, she wanted nothing more but to feel her power over him again.

He ran his hand under her long gown and found his way to her thighs. There was way too much fabric separating them and he needed to feel her warm skin. She let out a small moan when his hand came too close to her center, when he touched her inner thigh. He noticed how she froze and closed her eyes. Then, he stopped what he was doing and looked straight at her. "April, is everything ok?"

"I…I'm ok." She said, opening up her eyes. She knew she needed to tell him what was crossing her mind. It was important that he knew. "Jackson, I need to tell you something."

He got worried for a second as he watched her climb off the bed. He got up too and waited for her to say something. "What is it?"

"I just need a minute." She said, trying to find the right words to tell him what she wanted to say. "Ok…well, remember San Francisco?"

"Yeah." He replied, wondering what that had anything to do with this.

"I was a virgin and then we slept together and you were my first one and we started sleeping together after that and…"

"April, you're rambling." He cut her off.

"Right, but do you remember how I wanted to be a virgin 'til I got married…even though that didn't happen, because you and I happened and…"

"April!" He almost shouted. "Tell me already."

"You're still the only one." She let out quickly.

Jackson nodded his head, trying to understand what she had just said. "What?"

"Matthew and I…we never did it."

"Oh! Wow!" Then it hit him and he felt his throat suddenly dry out. "So, you never slept with…"

"Never." She shook her head. "You're still the only one I ever had sex with."

"Wow…I…" He was taken by surprise with her confession. He never really thought about it, because he rather not think about the fact that she was probably sleeping with another man. But the truth was that he was glad to hear that and proud of it really. She had only been touched by him; only he knew how to give her pleasure; only his lips kissed her private parts; only he helped her reach cloud nine; only his name was moaned by her lips as she reached her climax.

"So, yeah…" She continued. "And I have no idea why I'm so nervous about this, but I am…I don't know why, but I am."

"You don't have to be nervous, baby."

"I'm feeling like a virgin about to lose her virginity." She confessed. "Even though I don't think I was this nervous when I actually lost mine."

"Yeah." He said, remembering how loose she was that night in San Francisco.

"I'm not a virgin and I know I sound ridiculous, but I haven't done it in such a long time that I might not even remember how to do it properly." He knew she was starting to ramble again and it reminded him how much he missed her ramblings too. "And it's silly…I know it's silly, because this isn't even my first time."

Jackson thought for a second about it. This was not her first time and her first time was far from being perfect, since it was rushed with all the adrenaline that was running through their excited bodies. He wanted to make it right for her for once in his life. He didn't want to rush things and they definitely didn't have to hide or meet secretly in an on-call room. No, those days were over. Now, they could actually enjoy making love to each other slowly. And this might not be her first time, but it was her first time as a married woman and his first time as a married man. So, he wanted to give her a night she could remember forever.

"April, calm down." He said, after listening to her hopeless ramblings. He stepped closer to her and quietly whispered into her ear. "Turn around."

"What?"

"Just turn around for me, please."

She turned around and he placed himself behind her. Then, he moved his hands to her waist and leaned in. "Close your eyes." She closed her eyes and he continued. "Now take a deep breath."

As she took a deep breath, she felt a chill down her spine. His lips were close to her neck and she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. Then, she felt his right hand travel to her neck, moving her hair to one of her shoulders. "I'm going to take off your dress, ok?" She heard him ask and simply nodded.

His hands traveled to her back and soon he started unzipping her dress. While his hand put the zipper down, his lips kissed the naked part of her neck. Then, he carefully helped her take off the top part of her dress, sliding it down her shoulders.

It was the first time in months April got naked in front of a person and it was intimidating to be in that position even though she knew Jackson had seen her naked before. She let him help her get undressed and when the dress reached her waist, she pushed it down with her own hands.

Jackson had to hold his breath when she stepped out of the dress and turned around to face him. He stared at her for a few seconds, without saying anything. Then, he had to place his hands on her waist. She was only wearing a pair of white panties and he had to touch her to know that this was real…that she was really standing in front of him and that this was not just one of the crazy dreams he used to have about her. "You're more beautiful than I remembered." He said, noticing how her cheeks turned red.

She placed her hands on his bare chest and moved them until they reached the top of his pants. She started by taking off his belt, then she unzipped his pants and finally she slid them down his legs. In the next moment, her lips caught his and his mouth opened to welcome her tongue.

Somehow he managed to lie her down on the bed again as they kissed. But soon his mouth moved from her lips to her skin.

April could feel his lips touching her skin and his hot breath on her neck. Then, he made his way down her collarbone. His hands, running up and down her legs, were rediscovering her body. She missed his touch and the way his fingers grabbed her flesh.

Jackson moved his lips along her collarbone and noticed how April's eyes were closed. He wanted to make her lose herself in pleasure and so he moved his mouth further down.

She had her eyes closed to focus on his touch and when he started kissing her breasts, she almost screamed. As he played with her nipple, she ran her fingers through his shaved head.

He heard her soft moans and decided to proceed with his sweet torture. So, he traveled to her flat stomach, leaving a trace of kisses as he made his way down. He only stopped on the edge of her underwear. Then, he looked up at her with playful eyes and she simply nodded. So, he started pushing her panties down her legs.

She lifted up her bum to allow him to take off her panties. But he wasn't finished just yet. No, he wanted more. So, he started planting sweet kisses all the way up her leg, while his hands were on her chest, caressing her breasts and she was about to explode with desire.

She placed her hands on the back of his head, making his come up again. She wanted to kiss lips and taste him once more. When their mouths touched, she placed her hands on the hem of his boxers and started pushing them down.

All the time they spent apart, he missed feeling her skin against his skin and how their bodies fitted together perfectly and how she opened up her legs to held them around his hips and how her back arched when she felt his member touch her center for a moment and how good her small moans sounded and how her nails scratched his skin when she was about to lose all her senses.

He planted some kisses down her neck, but she cupped his face and brought him up again. It was like she needed his lips to breathe and his taste to survive. "I need you, Jackson." She whispered. They spent so much time apart and their sexual tension and desire was so big, that they both needed each other at that point. So, he looked at her eyes as she looked back at his and, slowly, he found the way into her.

She gasped when she felt his hard member inside of her and he knew he had to take it easy, because she was so damn tight. "You don't know how much I missed this." She said, in a low tone. He missed it too.

He smiled and kissed her lips before starting to move inside of her. It reminded him how much he missed being inside of her and how he missed the fact that their bodies moved together in the most perfect rhythm.

He missed everything about her and he loved everything about her all at once.

.

The morning of the next day came around and April woke up with the first rays of light. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was, but then she felt Jackson's hands around her waist and all the memories from the past few hours filled her mind. She quickly lifted up her hand and there it was: her sparkly wedding ring. She was a married woman and, sleeping next to her, there was her husband. She looked to her side and simply gave herself the pleasure of watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful, even though he was probably too tired to even function. The past few hours were crazy for him too – he got up the day before and went to work just like any other ordinary day; then he attended her wedding; after that he drove for 13 hours straight, got married and still had the energy to spend the rest of the day and night making love to her.

Looking at him like that made her want to taste his lips again. She missed his lips more than she thought she did. So, she slowly moved and started planting soft kisses on his neck. It only took him a few seconds to open up his sleepy eyes and pull her closer.

"Good-morning, wife." He said, burying his nose in her hair to kiss her head.

"Good-morning, husband." She replied with a grin on her face. She loved the way those words sounded. "How was your sleep?"

"The best I had in years." He replied, taking her left hand and placing it close to his lips. "Yours?"

"The best I ever had." She said, without being able to hide her joy. He kissed her hand right where her wedding ring was. "Is it real?"

"It is." He replied, knowing exactly what she meant by that. "We're really married. It really happened."

"I feel like it's just a dream."

"It's not just a dream!" He said, thinking how she was sure in doubting it really happened, since it all seemed almost too crazy not to be a dream. "We're married."

"Oh my gosh!" She suddenly gasped. "We're married. We're married, Jackson. We actually got married and nobody knows we're here and people back in Seattle are probably wondering where the heck we are and my parents…gosh, my parents must be freaking out."

"Hey, April, look at me." He said, placing one hand on her face. "It's ok. It's ok…we love each other and that's all that matters."

"But…" He didn't even let her finish and quickly placed his lips on top of hers.

She calmed down and even let out a small giggle. It seemed like he always had the perfect way of easing her down. "You're right." She said. "Me and you is all that matters."

"I'm glad you get that now."

"And this feels really, really good."

"What?" He said, never letting go of her body. "Waking up, after a long night of wild sex, completely naked with your handsome husband by your side, cuddling with you?"

"Yes!" She laughed. "It feels really good to wake up like this."

"Well, then prepare yourself, because we can wake up like this every day for the rest of our lives."

"I like that." She said, resting her hands on his chest. "Although I'm considering never leaving this bed or this place…I don't think I want to go back to all the mess we left back home."

"Shh! Don't think about it." He kissed her forehead, wishing he could just take all her worries away. "Babe?"

"What?" She loved when he treated her like that.

"You know what I'm thinking about right now?" She simply nodded her head and he went on. "I'm thinking about how you said you wanted to be a virgin for the man you were going to marry and how you were so disappointed and pissed off for not being able to keep your promise to God."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"You kept your promise." He replied. "You were a virgin for the man you married."

Once April realized what he was saying, she couldn't help but smile. It was true. She ended up losing her virginity with the man she married. "Jackson…" She said, leaning in for a kiss.

He kissed her lips tenderly, glad he was able to make her smile. He knew how her faith was important to her.

Their lips separated and April rested her head against his chest, while he played with his fingers, making invisible circles in her skin. They stayed in silence for a moment, but Jackson knew she had something in her head. "What are you thinking about?"

"God." She replied.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…there's this passage in 1st Corinthians that I read so many times I ended up memorizing it."

"What does it say?"

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and cannot fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." Jackson looked at her and noticed how she had her eyes closed. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs…Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

"That's beautiful." He simply said.

"That's love…true love."

Jackson grabbed her waist a little closer to his body and pressed one kiss on her lips. "I love you." He said against her mouth, suddenly realizing now he had the love of his in his arms…the love he would never let go away ever again.

…

_Present time_

April stepped out of the shower and quickly put on her pajamas. Then, she headed to the nursery, where she left Jackson and the baby 15 minutes ago.

She opened the door and found him sitting in the dark on the rocking chair. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. I changed her diaper and she's now falling asleep." He replied, almost in a whisper. "Don't worry about anything, April."

"Do you mind if I go sit on the couch?"

"No, of course not." He said. "Go. I'll meet you there."

.

After a few minutes, Jackson walked into the room with a baby monitor in his hand. April, who was lying down on the couch with a blanket around her body, sat up and looked at him. "Is Ella asleep?"

"Ella's asleep." He said, sitting next to her, after putting the baby monitor in the coffee table in front of them.

"Good." April replied, snuggling with him. "Thank you for putting her to sleep tonight. I'm really tired."

"I know." Jackson put his arms around her body and kissed her temple. It's been a week since their little get way to the cabin and the fact that Jackson was working meant that April stayed home with the baby by herself all day. And today was not an easy day. Ella had stomachache and spent the day crying, while April tried desperately to calm her down with tummy massages. "You can rest now…close your eyes. It's ok."

"Thanks." She said, resting her head under his arm, close to his chest. "How was your day?"

"It wasn't too bad." He replied. This was something they did: talk about their day and how it went. "I had to perform an abdominoplasty on a woman who had quadruplets."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah. Can you imagine having quadruplets?"

"Don't even say that. Gosh!" She said, when an image of herself pregnant with quadruplets crossed her mind. "I don't think I could handle that. I mean…I want to have more children, but not right now. And we definitely need to be more careful with that."

"Right." He replied, knowing how they've been so careless concerning birth control. "Well, we didn't use any protection last weekend."

"I know, but I think I'm not pregnant." She said, now starting to freak about with that possibility. "I mean…I can't be, right?"

Jackson looked down at her and placed one hand under her chin. "Even if you are, we'll be alright. Ok? Don't freak out about that now."

"Oh God!" She said, quickly praying in her. She wasn't ready to have another baby right now. Then they fell into a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, until April spoke again. "You know, sometimes I think about the wedding day. What if you never stood up? What if you never told me you loved me?"

"What if you had chosen Matthew?" He replied in a question.

April looked up at him and in a low tone said. "Life would have been so different that what it is right now."

"We wouldn't be together." He acknowledged. Looking at her, he could tell she had a sad expression on her face. Like the sudden thought of them not being together made her usually light eyes look sad. "Ella wouldn't be here."

"I know." She said, feeling an emptiness inside. She couldn't picture her life without her baby now. Ella became the center of everything and now it seemed like her life only made sense because of her daughter and her husband. "It hurts to think about it."

They fell into another silence. Jackson's mind kept running back to the day he stood up. It was supposed to be her wedding day. She was supposed to get married to another guy. He was supposed to give her his blessing and stick to it. They were supposed to be nothing more than friends. Images of her walking down the aisle haunted his thoughts. He remembered Matthew's face while he waited for April. He also remembered thinking how lucky that guy was and how a hint of jealously took over his whole entire body. And then he noticed people getting up from their sits and a soft music starting to play around the barn. He remembered how he turned around to find her at the entrance. She looked beautiful. It was like the dress she was wearing was made specifically to fit her figure. He remembered how she started walking to meet Matthew and how she looked directly at him for a second. She smiled. He smiled. He remembered how he was faking that smile. He had a knot on his throat through all the ceremony. Matthew and April were holding hands. He was not okay with any of that. He was not okay with their intimacy. It was not how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to be happy for her, because when you love someone and you see that they're better off without you, you let them go. He let her go. Then why did it hurt so much? Jackson remembered how he spent the day hearing Mark's voice inside his head. "Say it loud and go from there." And then he remembered how he figured that the truth was when you love someone, you don't let the person go. You fight. You fight hard for love. And he was ready to fight. She was about to say "I do" to another man and maybe he was too late, but he was going to fight.

As this flashback of memories ran through Jackson's head, he noticed how he never asked April what she felt about Matthew. She was getting married to him, but she couldn't love him. Or could she? "April…" He started, wondering if by now she had fallen asleep.

"Yeah?" She mumbled.

"I never asked you this, but hum…" He said, clearing his voice before continuing. "Did you love him?"

April opened up her eyes surprised by his question. They never really talked about Matthew or her feelings for him. His question was totally random in that moment. It had been a while since she thought about Matthew or even remembered his existence. Not that he didn't matter to her. It was just that her life it was so chaotic right now, with the baby, that she just lived in the present. So, April adjusted her position and sat straight. "Matthew?" She asked, already knowing he meant him. She didn't know exactly what to reply, but she thought there was no need to lie. It was for the best to give him a straight and honest question. "Hum…I did…in a way I did."

"Oh…" He simply said, somehow disappointed.

"But the way I loved him…" She quickly continued, noticing the frown that appeared in his face. "…it was never the way I loved you." She turned to him and placed one hand on his cheek. "I chose you, because I love you…because I've always loved you."

"If you loved me, why did you got engaged to him?"

"Because…well…" She replied, trying to make an argument that would not hurt his feelings. "Because we were a mess, then you started seeing somebody else and I started having feelings for him, because…he was kind, and charming, and he cared about me and treated me right."

"Right." Turning his eyes to the floor.

"He gave me the attention and the love I didn't get from you." She confessed. "And then I told you I wanted you and you didn't want me back."

"Well, in my defense you were kind of treating me like a toy." He said, almost aggressively.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because…well, first I felt like you were only using me for sex."

"I was not!" She defended herself, but he quickly cut her off.

"Then, you seemed to be too freaking happy about the fact that you didn't have to marry me." He continued, remembering the day they had the pregnancy scare. "You said we were free and that was…I don't even know how to say it, but it was hard to hear. It was like you were happy that you were free from me."

"I didn't mean it that that way and you know it." She replied. "See, this has always been our problem: lack of communication!"

"Then you were with him and yet you wanted me." He said, ignoring her. "I felt like you only wanted me because you were freaking out with the whole situation."

"What situation?"

"You only wanted me because you couldn't have me…because you were getting married to this guy you barely knew and because I almost died that day. You were freaking out!"

"I wasn't…I…" She said, before pulling up the blanket tighter to her body and crossing her arms around her chest. "I'm feeling so attacked right now, I can't even…"

"It's the truth." He went on. "You walked into me and said you wanted me. A bus exploded and suddenly you want me? You can't blame for being confused when not so long ago you got engaged. So…yeah… "

"That's so unfair!" She said, not looking at him.

"You were freaking out. Admit it!"

April took a deep breath and looked at him. "Ok, you want to know the truth? Maybe I was…Maybe I was freaking out. Matthew proposed to me and I didn't see it coming. It was all too sudden and you watched the whole scene. Jackson, you just stood there watching this guy propose to me and you didn't even say a thing. And you were smiling to me, dammit. And it annoyed me the fact that you didn't care…I felt like you had moved on with your life." She said, making him think about that moment too and how he had to fake that smile, when the truth was he was feeling like a knife had just stabbed him in the chest. "What was I supposed to do? All I could do was try to move on too. And then the freaking bus exploded and you almost died and yes I freaked out about that too. But can you blame me? I almost watched you die and I even ran to the damn bus to get you seconds before it exploded. If it wasn't for Matthew, who grabbed me, I probably wouldn't be here today."

"You ran to the bus?" He asked, hearing this for the first time.

"I did. For you I did. I realized I loved you." She continued, without taking a second to breathe. She was finally letting it all out. "I loved you so much that it hurt to think that you could've died in that moment. That's why I attacked…why I hit you. I was so mad at you for almost dying."

"April, I didn't know…"

"I was rejected by you twice." She cut him off. "When you broke up with me and when I told you I wanted you, but you didn't want me back. There was nothing left for me to do but to move on with my life. That's why I stayed with Matthew, that's why planned the wedding…that's why I chose to get married to him."

Jackson looked at her and felt nothing but guilt consume him. From her perspective he understood the reason behind her actions. He was selfish and so, so stupid. "I wasn't treating you like a toy. That was never my intention. You're talking like it was all my fault, when it wasn't. And the truth is…you started it."

"I started it?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"You broke up with me!" She said, in a high pitched tone.

"I don't think…"

"Even though I'm not completely sure if you really broke up with me, because we never officially dated, so…" She said again, ignoring his excuses. "Were we even dating?" She was about to say something when she felt Jackson's lips on hers. He kissed her, cupping her face with both of his hands. "Don't do that…Don't kiss me when I'm in the middle of a sentence." She said, breaking off the kiss, but he pressed his lips again against hers and she didn't fight it anymore.

"Can you stop, please?" He said a minute later, when their lips parted. "If you want to know, breaking up with you was the biggest mistake of my life. And I'm glad I could make up for that mistake, otherwise…" He took a deep breath. "…life would've been miserable."

April looked at him as he placed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, ok?" He said, truly regretted. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too." She whispered. Her sudden attack of anger went way. So, she rested her head on his shoulder again. "Can you imagine how it would have been if we still had to work together?"

"If I never stood up?" He asked and April nodded her head. "It would suck! I mean it was hard enough seeing you with Matthew or even wearing his engagement ring…I can't even think about what it would be like for me to know you were actually his wife."

April thought for a second about how now it seemed weird to think she could've been somebody else's wife. And then she realized that if she was somebody else's wife, he would belong to someone else too. "Would you still be with Stephanie?" She asked, curious to know his answer. In her eyes, their relationship was never serious and yet he dated her for months.

"No, I don't think so." Jackson replied right away. "She was a nice girl, but I don't know…probably not!"

"But did you have feelings for her?"

"I guess so." He answered, feeling a little too uncomfortable to talk about this with her. "But the truth is I only started seeing her to forget you."

"I can't even tell you what I felt when you told me you were sleeping with her." She said, remembering the moment he approached her to tell her he had moved on. She remembered how sick she felt, how disgusted by him she felt, how she just wanted to throw up in the face of his actions and how, at the same time, she just wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his lips like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm sorry." He meant it. He was so sorry, but he was only a human and he let the flesh speak louder. He knew that sleeping with Stephanie wasn't right, but he needed to forget April and in Stephanie he found a great escape. She offered herself to him and he simply didn't have the strength to say no.

"I'm so stupid!" She said, hiding her face with her hands. "I basically pushed you to her. Oh my gosh…How stupid! And I had feelings for you…I had feelings for you and yet I pushed you to another woman."

"April, c'mon." He said, kissing her head quickly. "Why are we talking about this now?"

"Because…" She replied, looking at him. "… We've been through so much that looking back is easy to see the mistakes we made and how stubborn we were and how we tend to complicate things."

"Yeah." He simply said, knowing she was right. They still had a long way to go and they definitely needed to learn from their mistakes and learn how to communicate with each other in a better way.

"Life would have been so much easier if we didn't stop seeing each other."

"I know!" He replied, looking back at all the times he lied awake in his bed thinking about her; or the many times he found himself staring from the corner of his eyes at her; or about the times he wished he could've just called her to talk after the day was over, but couldn't; or about the months he wasted trying to deny his own feelings for her. "I feel like we wasted so much time when we could have been together."

"I know." April sighed, picturing for a moment where they would've been now if they didn't break up in the first place. It all started with sex and she wondered if what they had was only sex. Maybe it was, in the beginning. Maybe it was, because she never thought about him in a romantic way. Maybe it was, because she was finding out who she was from a new different perspective. But at the same time, it couldn't be just sex, because one does not simply have sex with her best friend. "It wasn't just sex, right?"

"What we had?" He asked.

"Yeah. I mean when we started doing it I know that maybe it was just sex, but then…"

"It wasn't just sex." Jackson thought for a moment about it. In the beginning, when April kissed him and told him she wanted to do it, he was so surprised that he didn't have time to really think about it or evaluate the situation. But the truth was he was glad she kissed him, because if she never did, then he wouldn't have realized he had deeper feelings for her best friend. Things eventually escalated to something else and he found himself caught in a feeling he had never had before. And maybe it was love all along. It was a different kind of love than what he now had for her, but it was love. He was her first and she discovered her sexuality with him and even though it all started with sex, she was never just sex to him.

"And now look at us!" She said, cuddling next to him. She placed one hand on his chest, her head was on his shoulder and her legs were on his lap as she curled against his body like a ball. He put a protective arm around her shoulders and the other he let it rest on her thigh.

"Married, with a kid." He replied, comfortable with that thought. "We're a family."

"Yeah, hum…about that. I've been thinking and I'm ready now." April said, lifting up her head to face him. "I'm ready to officially be an Avery."

"What do you mean?" She noticed how he had a puzzled look on his face.

"I want to be an Avery…change my name to April Avery." She confessed, with a shy smile. "But I mean, only if you're ok with it!"

"April, of course I'm ok with it. I love it." He said, feeling way too excited about this. "But why?"

"Because, it feels right. We're a family and families share last names and Ella has your last name and our future babies will too, so I think it is right for me to be an Avery too."

"April Avery?"

"April Avery." She replied, with a smile.

"I love how that sounds." He took her face in his hand and placed a kiss on her lips, to which she replied with vigor. She moved her body and was now fully on top of him, facing him and with her legs spread open around his hips.

"So do I!" She said. "We're a family. We're the Averys."

Jackson didn't understand why something as simple as that made him feel so happy. But he was happy and he couldn't deny it. He wasn't alone in this world. He had a family now. A little family he loved so much.

They kissed for a while, but then Jackson pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. "Why did you choose me?" He asked, in a whisper, going back to where this conversation started.

April moved her head and looked into his eyes. Then, she smiled and placed one hand on his cheek. "I don't know…there was just something about you."

"Oh really! Just something about me?" He asked, with a playful tone.

"Just something about you!"

He smiled back at her as she rested her forehead on his again. "Well, I'm glad there was just something about me!"

"Why did you choose me?" She asked, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Because…" He replied, hugging her waist with his hands, pulling her closer. "…you are and will always be the one."

"Wow…'the one'." She said. She heard him call her 'the one' before, but it never stopped to amaze her how two simple words made her feel so good. Especially considering they were coming out of Jackson Avery's mouth. "I remember you saying that the concept of soul mates was stupid!"

"I was wrong… I found my soul mate. I found the one… you're the one." He acknowledged. "And I'll say it over and over again." He said, planting little butterfly kisses down her neck. "You're the one. April Kepner, you're the one…you're the one…you're the one."

"I'm the one?" She said, giggling.

"You the one!"

"Even though to me you're just the guy I banged in the bathroom because I flipped out over my boards." She teased him, remembering how it all started.

"Really?" He stopped kissing her and noticed how she was biting her lower lip. "I'm just a guy you banged?"

"Yeah!" She said, with a naughty smile.

"Then how the hell did we end up here?" He played along, knowing she was just mocking him with his own words.

"Oh, honey…I have no idea!" She said, before craving her mouth on his. "I love you." She mumbled against his lips.

"I love you too."

Then, she rested her head against his forehead once again and held her hands around his neck. "If I'm the one to you, then…you're home to me."

"Home?"

"Home." She said, with a serious tone. "Home, because every time I look into your eyes, I lose myself over and over again; because every time I feel your arms around my body, I feel protected and I have no fears; because every time I hear your voice, my heart beats faster; because some time ago I honestly thought I was going to end up alone, that I would not be able to find someone who loved me. I thought I was going to be alone and lonely for the rest of my life and I waited for so long to find true love. Not just any kind of love, but the kind of extraordinary love we have. You changed me, Jackson. You changed my life…forever. And even when life gets tough and everything seems to be a mess, I know I'll be alright, because I have you. And together we'll make it through. And I was lost for a while, but I eventually made my way back home…to where I belong. Jackson, you're my home because I'm right where I belong. You are where I belong. I belong to you."

Jackson didn't have any words left to say. So, he simply cupped her face and kissed her lips tenderly. April kissed him back lovingly, as she wrapped her arms tighter around him. She meant every word she said. She was home. He was her home. And they belonged together…forever.

…

**AN**

Hey guys,

This is the last chapter of 'Something about you'. What did you think of it? Tell me and review.

I can't even begin to say how much I enjoyed writing this story. This was my first (hopefully not the last) Japril fic and I loved it. But I couldn't have done it without you guys. You inspired me in every way, with you reviews, PMs, follows and favs. Some of your words (the ones you used to review) I'm going to keep in my heart forever. Thank you so, so, so much! Thank you for reading, for reviewing, for supporting the story and for loving it too.

Now, about the chapter. This was the last one. Review, please, and tell me what you thought of it.

I received a PM, which inspired me to write something about the actual wedding we didn't get to see on TV. Now, you some of the vows and things the minister said were taken off the internet. Anyways, I hope they sounded right to you (I'm not a minister, so I don't know how to perform a ceremony. That's why I needed a little help from the internet with that).

Ok, now that this fic is done I'm going to start thinking about a new one. I found out that I love writing while writing this fic and I really want to keep doing it as a hobby. The next fic is probably gonna be AU. Would you read my next fic? Do you like the idea of it being AU? You can read about the story I'm thinking about in chap. 13.

Anyways, I just want to thank you for you reviews and everything else.

I hope you can review this last chapter and I hope you liked it too.

Thanks, guys.

With love, Annie.

PS: English is not my 1st language!

PS2: you can find me on tumblr: **aprilkepner-greys **and ** twitter: i_annie2**


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